Landfill
by creativeminds1896
Summary: "...this is is torturous electricity between both of us. And this is dangerous. I want you so much, but I hate your guts, I hate you..." spans season 1, Bellamy/OC
1. The Ground (Pilot - part 1)

Chapter 1: The Ground (Pilot – Part 1)

* * *

The cell was cold.

That was the first thought that popped into her head when she awoke from a fitful slumber.

But then more thoughts rushed in, leaving a hollow feeling in her chest.

"I'm eighteen today," she whispered aloud, her voice reverberating in the concrete room.

The other girl on the cot across from hers sat bolt upright, her expression one of complete and utter astonishment.

"That's what you've been counting down to all this time?" she questioned, voice straining with emotion. "Why didn't you tell me?"

The older girl sighed. "Octavia, please – "

"Don't you 'Octavia, please,' me, Parker Nathan!" Octavia exclaimed. "I deserved to know that you might be floated today!"

Parker grudgingly pushed herself up, propping her thin pillow against the wall to lean against. "You don't have to remind me. I already know I will be. I've known ever since I was thrown into this hole."

Octavia threw off her thin blankets and trotted over to Parker's bed, plopping down to face her cellmate. Parker pulled her own covers up over her forearms, attempting not to look Octavia in the eyes while doing so.

"Hey, talk to me," Octavia prodded. "You can't be okay with this."

"That's just it. I _am_ okay with it. I accepted it a long time ago. Now you need to as well," Parker told her.

But she hadn't. She didn't want to be floated. She'd seen it happen to others before her. She couldn't bear the thought of leaving Octavia or her parents. She was scared. How could she not be? Dying wasn't something that she wanted to do that early in her life.

Octavia shook her head. "You're lying."

Parker's eyes flitted over to the chalk markings on the wall. The number of days she had been in there with Octavia pierced her skull, rolling around in her brain until it hurt to look at them any longer.

She tried to be strong for her friend. She scoffed at the statement. "Yeah, right."

"Parks, you're a terrible fibber," Octavia repeated. "You can't get anything past me, okay? You're too easy to read."

Parker played with the ends of her brown, fading into dishwater blonde hair. She swallowed thickly. "Wish I wasn't."

They were both silent for a few beats.

Octavia picked a stray ball of fuzz on the blanket. "I guess…I guess I'm going to get a new cellmate."

Parker nodded, unable to respond to such a comment. But Octavia wasn't wrong.

A long beep sounded from their cell door, indicating that the food flap was going to be opening.

Neither of them looked that way, as they were quite familiar with the noise. They heard the smaller slide scrape open, the sound of metal on concrete, and then another beep. Breakfast had arrived.

"Will you at least eat breakfast with me?" Octavia wondered.

Parker couldn't help but smirk. "I don't really have a choice, O. I'm kind of stuck with you."

Octavia smiled and slid off the bed, ready to collect the trays of rations.

Parker pushed the covers off her and reached down to the floor to grab her socks that she had kicked off during her night of terrible sleep.

Then, she felt Octavia tap on her leg.

"Parker, look," she said, as if confused. "They didn't just give us breakfast today."

"Octavia, now's really not the time for one of your puns," Parker replied. "Seriously, though, is there something that's actually there besides our food?"

"It's clothing."

Parker froze mid-sock pull. They never delivered anything special to the cells. If they distributed new prisoner garb, they lined up on the second floor of the Skybox. Never _ever_ had their clothes been delivered to their cells, much less pushed through the food flap.

"Excuse me?" demanded Parker, puzzled.

"Just look for yourself!" Octavia said, amazed.

Parker slipped on the sock and stood next to her cellmate. She was, in fact, correct. Not only were there two trays of rations on the floor, there were also two piles of clothes and two pairs of boots.

"Are we going somewhere?" Octavia speculated.

"Where would we go?" Parker countered.

Octavia nodded. "True. There's nowhere we'd be welcome here on the Ark. You know, someday, I'm getting out of here and I'm going to do something completely insane. Like, go on a spacewalk like that guy Finn did a few months ago."

Parker merely raised her eyebrows and picked up the pile closest to her side of the room. Octavia did the same.

Parker placed her new clothes on the bed and examined them closely. Were they uniforms of some sort? Did they have a symbol on them to indicate that she was a criminal?

Octavia gasped with realization as she buttoned her new trousers.

"We're not both getting floated, are we?"

"No," Parker immediately responded. "You're not turning seventeen for several months and even at seventeen, they don't float people."

"What if they changed the policy or something?" Octavia asked quickly. "Can they do that?"

A series of laws and policies about juvenile delinquents and execution ran through Parker's mind, her years of reading about the Ark's ways finally being useful in some sense. "No, they can't change the law for that, especially since Jaha is the Chancellor. He's pretty old-fashioned."

"Hey, maybe I'm going to your review as a witness or something!" said Octavia hopefully.

Parker shook her head again. "They don't call witnesses for the reviews."

"Well, then I'm out of ideas," grumbled Octavia grimly. "Just trying to be the optimistic one here."

Parker let out a breath, grabbed the dark blue v-neck tank top, and yanked off the old gray one she had on. "I know. I'm sorry. It's hard to be when you know you're going to die today."

Frustrated, she tugged on the new tank top and slammed her fist into her cot. She turned to see Octavia staring at her, face turning slightly red.

The younger girl made the two strides across the room and wrapped her arms around the older one.

"I don't want to lose you, Parks," she muttered. Parker could hear her voice crack and shake, as if tears were forming in her eyes.

Parker hugged her back tightly, her eyes welling up. "I'm sorry. I really am."

"It's not your fault," Octavia replied.

Parker put her hands on her good friend's shoulders, pushing her out of the hug. She held Octavia at arm's length, staring at her firmly.

"But it is. I'm the one who made mistakes. I'm going to pay for those in the way that the Ark's creators thought they should be paid for. I brought this on myself," Parker said. "But thank you."

To her surprise, Octavia smiled slightly. "You sound like my brother."

Parker chuckled and shrugged on a dark green jacket. "Now that's a first."

"No, seriously, you do," Octavia reiterated. "And you know I've joked about you being family, but Parker…you _are_ family to me now. You're my sister."

Parker teared up again. She could barely talk. It meant so much to her that Octavia would say such a thing. She spoke so highly of her brother and how much he took care of her and loved her. To hear her compliment her on such a day made Parker even more emotional than it normally would have. On the day of her death, she felt loved again, just as her father and mother loved her.

"Thank you," she said softly.

Octavia smiled and went back to her own cot to finish changing.

Parker turned to face the tallied wall, tears slipping down her face. She did nothing to wipe them away. She was not ashamed of her own emotions.

They both were completely ready by the time three guards crashed into their cell, the steel door slamming against the wall with a loud BANG.

"Prisoners 1-4-8 and 1-6-7, stand up and face the wall with your hands raised!" one commanded.

The two girls hurriedly did as they were told. Two guards took their places behind the girls, holding them in place by their arms.

Parker frowned at the gray concrete in front of her. She didn't trust these guards or their commander. What the hell were they going to do to her and Octavia?

She heard metal clasps clicking and a quiet whirring noise behind her. She turned her head slightly to see the third guard holding up two metal contraptions, each with several needles blinking and glowing with a green light. Her heart dropped.

"Wait a minute! Wait! What are you doing?!" she demanded as the machine was handed to Octavia's guard. She started to struggle, trying to reach out and smack the thing out of the guard's hands.

Octavia immediately turned her head to see the metal contraption and started to try to break free.

"Get that thing away from me!" she cried.

The guard forcefully held out her right arm and the third guard clamped it onto her wrist. Octavia let out a sharp yell as the needles poked through her flesh.

"Let her go!" Parker shouted as the guard started to jerk Octavia away from the wall. "She's not eighteen yet! Let her GO!"

Octavia wriggled and kicked and screamed as they led her away from her friend. "Parker! Parker, no! PARKER!"

"OCTAVIA!" Parker bellowed as the younger girl disappeared out the door.

She became desperate. She couldn't let Octavia go like that. Who knew where they were taking her?

She flicked her foot back, kicking her guard in the crotch. He loosened his hold on her and Parker yanked her arm out of his grasp. She tried to make it to the door, but the third guard clamped his hand down on her right arm and dragged her back, slamming the machine onto her wrist. Parker yelled once as the needles pinched and stung her arm. The second guard, hearing her pain, regained his footing and tackled her, sending her down hard to the ground.

Parker did her best to kick and scratch and pull, but she couldn't get a grip on the guard.

"Have fun dying on the Ground, crackhead," he snarled.

Parker rolled her eyes at the terrible nickname she had earned herself, then gasped as the guard jammed something sharp into the back of her thigh.

Her eyes grew droopy and her entire body fought against the tranquilizer. She lost the battle with the drug, and finally collapsed after several moments of struggle. But before she went out, the guards distinctly heard her call out her friend's name.

"Octavia…"

"Parker, Parker wake up! PARKER!"

The girl felt a dull throb in her knee, her eyes flying open at the pain. She glanced down to see Octavia's leg drawing back from her own.

"You kicked me," she stated.

"Uh, no duh," the younger girl across from her mocked. "Look where we are."

Parker blinked several times, trying to get used to the lighting in…wherever she was. Next to her was a girl, one that she didn't recognize. And next to Octavia was a completely unfamiliar boy. In fact, all around Parker were other teenagers she had never seen before in her life. And they were all restrained by seatbelts.

 _Wait…seatbelts?_ She thought. _I'm going crazy, right?_

The lighting was dim and the place they were strapped into looked old. It was clearly outdated technology. But why?

Parker thought about how she got there. The cell…why weren't they in their cell? What were the guards doing? Was this against Chancellor Jaha's orders?

Then a phrase spit at her by the guard who knocked her out floated back into her memory.

 _"Have fun dying on the Ground, crackhead."_

"Earth?" she said quietly.

"We're bein' sent to earth, yep," the girl next to her grumbled.

"Why?" Parker probed harshly. "Did the guards say anything when they strapped us in? Any word from the Chancellor?"

"Course not," the girl chuckled darkly. "Ya think they tell us crap 'round here? No way. We're the criminals. We don't deserve to know anythin'."

Parker grit her teeth and looked back to Octavia.

"We have to get off this ship…now," she told her friend, eyes hardening.

Then the hatches in the floor squeaked and slammed shut with a metallic clank. She heard footsteps below, then another boom.

Her eyes widened. There was no escaping this now.

The ship rumbled, vibrating beneath their feet. Then, with a sharp swerve, the ship left the Ark. To earth.

Parker leaned back in her seat, letting her head rest against it. What would they do for food? And shelter? She had learned a few things in Earth Survival Skills class a few years earlier, but who knew what the Ground was going to be like. There was no guarantee that they would even make it off the dropship. And, if they did, they might all die from radiation as soon as they got out.

Octavia said nothing, seemingly almost excited to be in the ship.

"Are you…happy?" asked Parker bluntly.

"Hell yes I am! I'm just glad we're out of that cell," Octavia replied.

"I'm glad we are, too, but we could die here or even on the Ground," Parker argued. "I'm not eager to be fried to death by radiation."

"Just think about it, Parker! We could always _not_ die! And we can do whatever we want with no guards or adults telling us what to do or where to go! We won't be locked up anymore! I want to have fun!" Octavia contradicted.

Parker could hear the longing in her voice.

"Listen, I know that you want to go wild and stuff like that, but if we're going to be on earth, we have to be careful. Who knows what kinds of animals and plants have regrown since we've been gone? I don't want you getting hurt."

The ship began to shake, jostling everyone all about. Somebody shrieked as more lights flickered on, brightening the room immensely.

Screens on each side of the walls went on with a quiet buzzing. Chancellor Jaha appeared, looking solemn. "Prisoners of the Ark, hear me now. You've been given a second chance. And as your chancellor, it is my hope that you see this not only as a chance for you, but a chance for all of us; indeed, for mankind itself. We have no idea what is waiting for you down there. If the odds of survival were better, we would have sent others. But frankly, we're sending you because your crimes have made you… _expendable."_

At this, Parker's nostrils flared in anger. Because of what they had done, they were suddenly lab rats testing out a new habitat for other, more privileged rats? It was a terrible excuse.

"Your dad's a dick, Wells!" called out another boy. The other delinquents laughed.

Parker's head whipped around, eyes scanning the ship. "Wells is here?"

"Heard he got himself arrested," the boy next to Octavia chimed in.

"What the hell did he do?" demanded Parker.

The boy shrugged. "How am I supposed to know? I've been in solitary for the past four months."

"…your records wiped clean," she heard Jaha say from the screen above her. "Your drop site has been chosen carefully. Before the last war, Mount Weather was a military base built within a mountain. It was to be stocked with enough non-perishables to provide three hundred people for up to two years."

Parker heard nothing more of his instructions, as a girl from the other side of the ship cheered.

"Yeah, go Finn!"

Parker looked over to the middle of the ship where a guy was floating in midair. She rolled her eyes.

"Idiot," she muttered.

Everyone else around her praised him.

"Go Finn!" hollered Octavia, pumping her fist in the air.

"Octavia, he could die!" Parker scolded. "The landing is not going to be gentle."

"What's stuck up your ass, Parker? Come on, he's just having a little fun!" joked Octavia. She laughed as he floated up to a blonde girl and a dark-skinned boy. For some reason, the blonde girl looked familiar to her…

"That's Wells over there!" Parker exclaimed. "Finn is talking to him."

"Aren't you that crackhead girl?" the boy next to Octavia recognized, narrowing his eyes at Parker. "The one who traded out those extra rations for – "

"Mind your own damn business," she snapped.

"Yeah, leave her alone," Octavia joined in, defending Parker. "You're probably in for something much worse."

"Stay in your seats!" the blonde girl warned.

The ship lurched upwards, stopping its quick descent. But the boys who had gotten out of their seats were thrown around, hitting the ceiling, then crashed through several pipes and wires, sending smoke billowing out around them. Sparks flew, catching Parker in the leg.

"Crap, crap, crap!" she shouted, smacking the fire on her black jeans out with her hand.

"Parker, are you alright?" Octavia called.

"I'm fine!" Parker replied. "Just hang on, okay?"

Octavia braced herself in her seat, clinging to the straps holding her down.

The lights went crazy, making Parker's eyes freak out. She squeezed them shut, hoping and praying that she wasn't going to die sitting in the dropship.

It was pitch black, then, with a hard bump, the ship stopped. Everyone was quiet.

"Listen," called out one of the boys to the left. "No machine hum."

Parker frowned, then listened. He was right. It was total and absolute silence – something that none of the hundred had ever heard before.

All at once, others unclicked their seatbelts, fervent on getting out to the Ground.

"The other door's on the lower level. Let's go!" a boy shouted.

Octavia was out of hers before Parker. She helped Parker tug the rest of the restraints off.

"Come on, I want to be out as soon as possible," Octavia urged, hurrying them over to the nearest ladder down to the first level.

"I'll go before you, okay?" Parker told her.

Octavia nodded. "Just don't be slow!"

Parker smiled slightly and descended the ladder quickly.

A crowd of other delinquents pushed up against the front door as a guard held up his hands. "Just back it up, guys!"

Parker narrowed her eyes at the guard. Why would a guard be on a ship full of teenage prisoners?

"Stop!"

Parker turned quickly to see the blonde girl who had been next to Wells coming down the ladder. She pushed her way to the front.

"The air could be toxic," she advised.

"If the air's toxic, we're all dead anyway," the guard claimed.

"Bellamy?" Octavia said in wonder.

Parker watched as the guard turned slowly, as if recognizing Octavia's voice.

Parker's eyes flickered between the two.

 _It can't be…_ she thought. _That's impossible._

Octavia jumped down from the ladder, glanced once at Parker in awe, then shoved her way over to the guard.

Parker followed her to the front of the crowd, hot on her heels.

"That's the girl that hid under the floor," commented one boy.

"Shut your mouth!" Parker barked in the direction the voice echoed from.

Octavia ignored it. She was intently gazing at the guard. Parker knew exactly who he was.

"Oh my god," he said breathlessly, obviously happy to see her. "Look how big you are."

It was Bellamy Blake, Octavia's older brother.

Octavia jumped into her brother's arms, overjoyed to see him there.

"What the hell are you wearing?" she said, stunned, touching his jacket. "A guard's uniform?"

"I borrowed it to get on the drop ship," he told her. "Someone's got to keep an eye on you."

They both smiled and hugged again.

Parker stared at them both in shock. She had promised Octavia that she would take care of her for her brother, but now it looked Octavia didn't need her anymore.

"Where's your wristband?" the blonde girl next to me asked firmly.

Octavia turned, an annoyed look on her face. "Do you mind? I haven't seen my brother in a year."

"No one's got a brother!"

"That's Octavia Blake, the girl they found hidden in the floor!"

Parker scoffed at those who began talking about her, trading horrible rumors about her and her mother.

Octavia tried to launch herself into the crowd to find those certain people, but Parker reached out and held her back. Octavia still resisted her to get to them.

"Octavia, stop, no!" she said, holding back her friend. "Just calm down."

"Let go, Parker," she snarled, yanking herself out of Parker's grasp.

Bellamy eyed Parker with an accusing glint. "You're Parker Nathan, the double trouble criminal."

Parker smirked. "Cute nickname. Is that something the guards call me, or is it just you? Oh, wait, you're not in the guard any more, are you?"

Bellamy's expression hardened. "And how do you know my sister?"

"We were cell mates," she replied. "And we're good friends."

He looked down to Octavia. "Is this true?"

Octavia nodded. "She's like a sister to me, so quit interrogating her."

"Hey, floor girl, are we going to open the door or not?" yelled another prisoner.

"Pipe down!" Parker shouted back as Octavia groaned.

"I do not want to be remembered as 'floor girl' for the rest of my life," she said.

"Then let's give them something else to remember you by," Bellamy bribed.

"Yeah? Like what?"

Bellamy glanced over at Parker with a smug expression, then back to Octavia. "Like being the first person on the Ground in a hundred years."

Octavia grinned with her brother, then looked back at Parker, her eyebrows wiggling playfully.

Parker just raised hers, skeptical of Bellamy and the fact that Octavia was actually going to be the first on earth in a hundred years. The others would race out as soon as that door touched the Ground.

The siblings turned to face the door, Bellamy tugging down on a lever to the right. The mechanisms in the door clicked and whirred, then, quickly, it opened and light streamed in.

Parker covered her eyes as the brightness blinded her. Slowly, she removed her hand, blinking so that her eyes would adjust. And what she saw out on the Ground were things she had only dreamed about. The trees were so tall, the grass so green, the air so fresh it burned her lungs. Earth. And here she was, just feet away from stepping into its glory.

Parker watched as Octavia took one slow step forwards. The younger girl took in a deep breath and let it out, savoring the new scents and the crisp, endless oxygen supply. She started forward, coming to the end of the ramp.

Parker, worried that something might happen to her friend, instinctively went up closer to the doorway, but Bellamy's arm held her back. She shot an irritated expression his way, but did not push her boundaries.

Octavia bounded off the ramp, planting two feet firmly into the ground.

Parker forgot about everything as she waited in suspense. Was Octavia okay? Was Earth actually survivable? She smiled slightly at the surroundings Octavia was basking in.

The dark-haired girl raised her arms and screamed, "WE'RE BACK BITCHES!"

Parker laughed and ran forward off the drop ship along with the rest of the hundred. She couldn't believe it – they were home. They were on Earth!

Her eyes welled up again, but this time with tears of joy. She almost felt like sitting down right there in the brush underfoot and bawling. She wasn't going to be floated today. She would never have to worry about being floated again. She wouldn't die in space. Never again would she have to stare out into the darkness and spots of light, hopelessly wishing that she was on Earth. Now she didn't have to wish. She was there.

Octavia shrieked once she saw her former cell mate. "Parks, we made it! We're here!"

Parker laughed as Octavia wrapped her arms around Parker's neck.

"We're out of that cell, Tavia. We can live now," Parker smiled.

Octavia let go of her and grabbed her hand. "Let's go look at those trees!"

Parker let herself be pulled along, laughing all the way.

They stopped in front of what looked to be an older tree. Although, neither of them were really sure, as they had never see a tree before.

"It's so green," Octavia observed, amazed.

"It's called chlorophyll," Parker noted, just as amazed.

Octavia raised her eyebrows and pointed to the trunk. "This green stuff is called chlorophyll?"

Parker chuckled. "No, that's moss. It grows on trees. Everything is green because it holds a special pigment called chlorophyll that helps plants like moss to photosynthesize, which means make food for itself."

Octavia glanced from Parker to the moss on the tree a few times. "It makes its own food? That's awesome."

Parker nodded and smiled. "It is, isn't it?"

"Hey, O. What are you looking at?"

The two turned to see Bellamy striding up to them, a smirk on his face. It was a smirk that Parker wasn't sure she liked the sight of.

"Parker was telling me about how this moss makes its own food," she relayed to him excitedly. "Earth is fantastic!"

"Well Parker here is just full of surprises, isn't she?" he mocked, sneering down at Parker warningly.

She stared back, not feeling the least bit scared or intimidated.

"I've got plenty more where that came from, don't you worry," she bit back, crossing her arms and smiling smugly back up at him. "Wait until I tell you about the laws of gravity."

Bellamy didn't seem like he was expecting such an answer from her, so his smile faded quickly.

Octavia rolled her eyes at the two of them. "Seriously, guys? You're already taking digs at each other and you've just met." She sighed. "Let's start over. Bellamy, this is Parker. She was my cell mate in the Skybox."

"Yeah, I heard," Bellamy told her. "And she's also the double trouble criminal, so you need to stay away from her."

"Bell, stop it. You can't tell me who I can hang out with," said Octavia firmly. "And you don't need to rub it in her face, okay? She knows what she's done and she knows it was a mistake."

"I only count one as a mistake. The other was for a completely valid reason, Octavia," Parker defended herself.

"What, you attacked a guard because he threatened you or something? I don't think that's a valid reason," pushed Bellamy.

"That one was the mistake," Parker argued. "The other was a matter of life or death."

"Yeah, trading extra rations for morphine tablets is a really valid excuse for life and death," he mocked.

"HEY!" screamed Octavia, pushing Bellamy away from Parker. "I said stop it, so stop it! I said to quit rubbing it in her face, so quit rubbing it in her face, Bellamy!"

He grumbled, fixing his guard's uniform jacket where she had wrinkled it.

Parker stared down at her feet, very clearly affected by what Bellamy had just accused her of.

"Now will you two please try to find a way to get along?" Octavia asked exasperatingly.

"As long as he doesn't bring up the past, I don't really care what the hell he does," Parker said flat out.

Octavia nodded. "Good. Bellamy?"

The older boy rolled his eyes. "Sure."

"Thank you," Octavia breathed.

Near the drop ship, a commotion seemed to breaking out.

"Whoa, hey, hey, hey," called a voice. "Hands off of him. He's with us."

A boy with a herd of other delinquents trotted up to the drop ship, stopping in front of Wells and the blonde girl.

Parker's face lit up with realization. That blonde…she was Clarke Griffin, Abby Griffin's daughter. She had played with her once or twice as a child while Dr. Griffin treated her mother.

"Relax," Wells held up his hands defensively. "We're just trying to figure out where we are."

"We're on the Ground. That not good enough for you?" Bellamy called out to him.

Wells looked annoyed at the statement. "We need to find Mount Weather. You heard my father's message. That has to be our first priority."

"Screw your father," Octavia said bitterly. "What, you think you're in charge here? You and your little princess?"

Parker gave Octavia a strange look. She knew that Octavia was not at all fond of Chancellor Jaha, but to take it out on his son? Ridiculous.

Parker herself had mixed feelings about the Chancellor, but she knew that bullying Wells about his father's decisions made no sense, especially when he and Clarke were trying to make sure that no more of them died.

"Do you think we care who's in charge?" challenged Clarke. "We need to get to Mount Weather, not just because the chancellor said so, but because the longer we wait, the hungrier we'll get and the harder this will be. How long do you think we'll last without those supplies? We're looking at a twenty mile trek, okay? So if we want to get there before dark, we need to leave. Now."

"I got a better idea – you two go," suggested Bellamy. "Find it for us. Let the privileged do the hard work for a change."

At this point, Parker noted that their fiasco had attracted an audience. They all shouted in agreement with Bellamy's plan. She looked at them all in bewilderment. They didn't want to live? She agreed with Clarke and Wells. They had to find food, and soon.

"You're not listening. We all need to go!" Wells repeated.

"Well, won't you look at this, everybody," taunted the boy with the squished face, striding over and shoving Wells forward. "Chancellor of Earth."

Everyone, including Bellamy and Octavia, chuckled. Parker, on the other hand, was still flabbergasted at everyone's moral compass. Then again, they were criminals, so what kind of moral compass had they invented for themselves?

"You think that's funny?" griped Wells.

The boy scoffed, then jumped forward and kicked Wells' ankle out from under him.

"Wait," Parker called out, attempting to break up the fight herself. She couldn't stand to see that boy hurt Wells any more. She strode forward, her intentions clear. Instead, a hand reached out and gripped tightly onto her arm. She looked back to see that it was Bellamy's hand. He shook his head at her.

"You can't tell me what to do, Bellamy Blake," she retorted, yanking her arm out of his grip.

As the others cheered on the fight, she went forward and stood in front of Wells, facing the other boy.

"Oh, look, the double trouble crackhead has joined us!" he ridiculed.

The others laughed and booed. But then Parker pushed him hard. Despite being several inches shorter than him, she managed to make him stumble several feet backwards. The others cheered even more, surprised and possibly amused that Parker would be in the middle of it all.

"They're trying to make sure that morons like you don't die!" she roared at him. "He's trying to help you." She turned to the rest of the crowd. "He's trying to help all of you!"

The angry boy started for her, but instead, somebody landed smack dab in front of her. Parker glanced at the guy standing in front of her, then at where he had launched off of in disbelief. From that height, he technically should have broken an ankle or a leg.

"Kid's got one leg and she's tiny," he said. "Why don't you wait until it's a fair fight?"

Parker's eyebrows shot up. It was the Spacewalker, Finn.

"I'm five seven, dumbass. That's not short," Parker blurted. He shrugged as he scanned her. She let out a sigh.

"Hey Spacewalker," Octavia got his attention. He turned. "Rescue me next."

The group chuckled, and the accusatory guy sauntered off, taking his crew with him. Parker rolled her eyes at Octavia and held out a hand to Wells.

"Thanks for that," he said gratefully as she pulled him to his feet.

Parker shook her head. "I was only doing what's right. Those guys are stupid. They're not thinking long-term."

"Hey, Wells, are you okay?"

Clarke quickly made her way over to them, a worried look on her face.

Wells nodded. "I will be."

"Thank you for standing up for us," she told Parker.

"Like I said, I was only doing what's right," Parker replied. "Come on, Wells, let's get you settled so that the doc can look at your ankle."

"I'm guessing I'm the doc," Clarke said, a hint of amusement in her voice.

"You've guessed correctly," Parker joked.

Wells put an arm around Parker's shoulders for support and the three of them made their way over to the drop ship's ramp. Parker helped Wells sit down and Clarke started to examine his injured ankle.

"We've met before, haven't we?" she asked of Parker.

Parker nodded and sat down next to Wells. "Your mom treats my mother every few days. We played together a few times as kids."

"I thought I recognized you," Clarke replied.

"When you meet a girl with two different colored eyes, it's hard not to forget," Parker sniggered darkly, thinking of how her one blue eye and one gray eye had baffled so many.

Neither Clarke nor Wells responded.

After a minute or two, Finn strode over to the three. "So, Mount Weather. When are we leaving?"

"Right now," Clarke told him, standing.

"How are you two going to carry enough food for a hundred?" Wells wondered doubtfully.

Parker contemplated leaving with Clarke and Finn, but she didn't want to leave Octavia behind. But then she spotted her and Bellamy in a heated conversation. Then she remembered – Octavia didn't need for her to look out for her. She had Bellamy now.

"You mean us three," Parker decided. She stood slowly, joining the two.

Clarke nodded once, as if approving of her coming with them.

"That's still not enough people," Wells commented.

Finn rolled his eyes, then turned behind him and tugged two skinny guys over from their conversation. One had goggles strapped to his head, the other held a small tree branch.

"Five of us," he countered. "Can we go now?"

The two other guys shrugged and nodded, as if not caring about being roped into going on a twenty mile hike.

"Sounds like a party! Make it six," Octavia chimed in excitedly.

"Hey, what the hell are you doing?" demanded Bellamy, marching up behind his sister and putting a hand on her arm.

"Going for a walk," Octavia said innocently. She shot me a wink and I pressed my lips together in an attempt to hide my smile. She was obviously trying to annoy her brother a little.

"Hey," Clarke spoke up. Parker frowned as Clarke reached over and picked up Finn's wrist. She pointed to his wristband. "Were you trying to take this off?"

"Yeah, so?" defied Finn, a mischievous tone to his voice.

" _So_ this wristband transmits your vitals to the Ark. Take it off and they'll think you're dead," Clarke answered, an argumentative tone lacing her words.

Parker glanced down at her right arm, where her own wristband resided. She knew immediately that she wouldn't take hers off. She didn't want her parents to worry.

"Should I care?" Finn said nonchalantly.

"I don't know, do you want the people you love to think you're dead?" stated Clarke obviously. "Do you want them to follow us down here in two months? Because they won't if they think we're dying."

There was an awkward silence between them all.

Parker noticed Bellamy's expression. It was an 'ideas brewing' face. He was up to something and she really didn't like that.

"Okay," Clarke said, breaking the silence. "Let's go."

The two scrawny guys left with Finn, while Octavia stared up at her brother, as if asking again if she could tag along.

Parker couldn't help but smile slightly at the sight of Octavia having her brother back in her life. She had missed him a lot while in the Skybox and talked a lot about him. But from what Parker had heard, Bellamy wasn't all that Octavia had told her.

As Octavia skipped away, Bellamy turned to face Parker.

"What?" he asked, wondering why she was staring at him.

"It's just nice to see Octavia happy," she replied. "She's told me a lot about you."

"She seems to respect you," he said, expression blank.

"Well, I kind of filled the role of older sibling while you weren't there," Parker told him. "Don't worry, okay? I'll keep an eye on her out there."

Parker turned to leave with Clarke, hoping she had resolved some of their earlier conflict, when Bellamy stopped her.

"Hey, hold your horses, double trouble."

Parker let out a sharp breath as he went around to face her.

"You may have been friends with Octavia up on the Ark, but this is the Ground. You don't need to be there for her any more. Stay away from my sister," he warned.

Parker was a little intimidated. How could she not be? This older boy who happened to be her best friend's brother had basically ordered her not to talk to her best friend. She tried not to let it show, but the way Bellamy smirked, she knew she had let it out. She wrung her hands and stared at her boots.

But then she remembered what she had said to him earlier. _"You can't tell me what to do, Bellamy Blake."_

Then, with a boost of confidence, she crossed her arms and looked up right into his brown eyes.

"I can't promise you that," she said confidently. "Instead, how about you stay away from me?"

Bellamy scoffed, then smirked, his arms crossing, too. He waited a beat before responding, "I can't promise you that."

Parker rolled her eyes, spun around, and left to catch up with the rest of the group. But while she did so, she went over the conversation she had just had with Bellamy in her mind.

 _"Instead, how about you stay away from me?"_

 _"I can't promise you that."_

He was totally and completely trying to get inside her head and psych her out. She couldn't let that happen so she decided that she wouldn't. And when Parker Nathan made a decision, she intended to stick to it.

* * *

 **Hi, guys! I really hope you enjoyed the first chapter of** _ **Landfill.**_ **The title is based off the song Landfill by Daughter. If you've never heard it, go listen to it! Maybe you'll understand why I chose it for my title. ;)**

 **If you want me to continue this, please let me know by reviewing and following! I have a lot in store for Parker (and all the other characters that get to know her, like Bellamy!). :)**


	2. Mount Weather (Pilot - part 2)

Chapter 2: Mount Weather (Pilot – Part 2)

* * *

"So what's your name?"

Parker glanced up from watching where she stepped to see the kid with the goggles walking next to her.

"Parker. Parker Nathan," she replied politely.

The goggles kid leaned back, a surprised look on his face. "Whoa! Monty check out her eyes!"

Parker smiled as the second kid, Monty, shuffled over. His eyebrows raised.

"One blue, one gray," he oohed and awed. "Awesome."

Octavia chuckled as she fell into step with the three of them. "Finally realize that Parker here is a physical freak?"

Parker gave Octavia an annoyed look and nudged her with her elbow. "It's not freaky, it's just a mutation in my DNA, that's all."

The goggles kid raised his eyebrows. "That's pretty freaky to me."

Monty nodded in agreement. "Sorry, Parker."

"And you say that you always tell the truth," Octavia joked as she quickened her pace to pass them.

"So what was your name?" Parker inquired.

"Jasper's my name, technology's my game," goggles said, saluting off into the distance.

"You know, your goggles make you look kind of like a fruit fly," she observed, chuckling slightly.

Jasper let out a short laugh. "Do you even know what a fruit fly looks like?"

"I know what they _used_ to look like," replied Parker knowledgably.

"And what did they look like?" Monty questioned.

"Huge eyes, teeny tiny bodies, would make a little buzzing noise and were attracted to fruit."

"And I look like one of those things?" Jasper asked skeptically.

Parker laughed. "No, I was just saying that you resembled the head part with the – never mind."

She was cut when off when she realized Jasper and Monty were too busy staring off into the tree canopy to listen to her explanation of why he resembled an ancient bug that may or may not have been extinct.

They fell behind as she trekked forward. She had to admit – it was hard not to stop and stare. After living in a bare, cold, concrete cell for two years and a metal container before that, Earth was paradise. There were colors here, colors that she had only seen in textbooks in class. She had never seen such a bright green before or blues as beautiful as the sky.

The purple flowers that were growing on either side of their walkway were vibrant. It was almost liberating to see them thriving in such an environment.

Ahead, Finn picked a flower, halted in his tracks, and pushed it up behind Octavia's ear. Parker wasn't sure how to react except to stop and stare. The two boys behind her had also stopped.

"Now _that_ is game," Jasper commented, impressed. Parker rolled her eyes good-naturedly.

 _"That,_ my friend, is poison sumac," Monty countered.

Parker laughed as Octavia quickly brushed the flower from her hair.

"What? It is?" she asked, panicked.

"The flowers aren't poison," Monty reassured her. "They're medicinal; calming, actually."

He picked a second flower and offered it to Parker as he took a bite of his own. Parker shrugged and took a bite. It wasn't too shabby, especially since she hadn't eaten for a while.

"Monty's family grows all the pharmaceuticals on the Ark," explained Jasper.

Parker, Octavia, and Finn all nodded. But Clarke skidded to a stop, whipping around to face them.

"Hey, guys, would you try to keep up?"

"Come on, Clarke, how do you block all this out?" Finn wondered.

"Well, it's simple," she retorted. "I wonder, why haven't we seen any animals? Maybe it's because there are none. Maybe we've already been exposed to enough radiation to kill us. Sure is pretty, though."

Parker took another bite of the sumac, wishing that she had some water to wash it down.

"Wait, Parker, what are you eating?" Clarke asked, concerned.

Parker gestured to Monty. "It's just poison sumac flower. Don't worry, it's harmless. It's supposed to calm you down."

"Parker, now is not the time for a picnic," Clarke reasoned.

Parker opened her mouth to defend herself, but Finn beat her to it. "Just chill for a second, okay, princess? She's just getting something to help hold her over until we reach Mount Weather. I think Monty knows what he's talking about."

Clarke, instead of arguing, just sighed. "Come on."

She turned her back on the group and kept on.

"Someone should slip her some poison sumac," Octavia kidded.

Parker chuckled, but scolded her friend. "O, really?"

Behind her, Jasper snorted several times, making Parker laugh even harder. She started walking forward, knowing that Clarke was right. They couldn't afford to take breaks when the entire group of teens relied on them to bring back food.

As they walked, Monty just stared at Jasper, his snorts dying out in embarrassment.

Finn shook his head at the two boys and glanced over his shoulder. "Okay, we know what Parker did to get here, but what about you guys? I got to know what you two did to get busted."

"You don't know all of it," Parker blurted, regretting the words as soon as they passed her lips.

Finn frowned. "We don't?"

Parker pressed her mouth in a thin line, mentally scolding herself. She knew she shouldn't have said anything.

"You can't just stop talking once you've said something like that," Jasper urged. "What don't we know?"

Parker sighed. She had brought this on herself. "You heard when Bellamy called me 'double trouble,' right?"

"Yeah, and that guy Murphy called you 'double trouble crackhead,'" Monty said.

"They call me that because I was found guilty of two crimes, not just one," Parker announced after a beat.

Jasper and Monty started to freak out, shouting and encouraging Parker. They patted her back and made comments like, "Whoa, nice!" "Holy cow, trying to beat all of us, Parker?" "Double trouble Nathan, yeah!"

Finn looked over his shoulder again, a surprised expression on his face. "You traded rations for morphine tablets _and_ committed another crime?"

Parker nodded slowly. She wrung her hands again in anxiety. Talking about her past mistake was not something that was easily discussed. Why had she said anything?

"Can we talk about something else, please?" Octavia cut in, sensing Parker's hesitation on the subject.

"Okay then, seriously, I got to know why you two got busted." Finn swerved the conversation onto Jasper and Monty.

"Sumac's not the only herb in the garden, if you know what I mean," Monty hinted at.

"Someone forgot to replace what we took," joked Jasper, nudging his best friend.

"And we had to apologize like a thousand times," Monty played along.

Parker snickered at their lighthearted joking about their arrests.

"What about you, Octavia? What'd they get you for?" Jasper asked slyly.

Parker widened her eyes a little as the group went on. That was a _very_ touchy subject for Octavia.

"Being born," she finally growled, bounding up to Clarke as to avoid talking about it anymore.

Parker cringed at the statement. Finn gave her the same kind of look, as if he felt bad for Octavia.

"That is so _not_ game," Monty said quietly.

Then Jasper smacked him in the stomach, Monty hitting him back, and so on.

Parker finally backhanded them both in the stomach, Jasper faking an injury and putting a hand where Parker's had connected with his body.

"Hey," he complained.

"Just come on," she told him, nodding her head towards where Finn, Octavia, and Clarke were knelt.

Clarke held a finger to her lips, indicating for them to be discreet.

Parker approached with caution as Clarke gestured to something out in the field. Parker smiled as she realized what this animal was.

"It's a deer," she told them as quietly as possible. "They're native to this area. Well, to a lot of areas on Earth, but this one, too."

"That's amazing," Octavia whispered back.

"No animals, huh?" Finn grinned at Clarke.

Parker's smile widened at the teasing.

Finn crept closer to the deer, hoping to get a better look at its elegant build.

Suddenly, he stepped on a branch, the snapping startling the deer. It looked up at them, revealing the second face growing gruesomely off the side of its head.

Parker flinched at the sight, almost falling back onto her behind.

The mutated deer bounded away, leaving them all in shock.

"That radiation really did a number on the biodiversity," Parker commented as they all got to their feet.

" _That's_ the effect of radiation?" Octavia questioned in disbelief.

Parker nodded.

"Kind of makes you wonder what happened to all the humans down here," Finn chimed in.

They were all silent for a moment.

"They're all dead, that's what happened. And we'll be dead soon, too, if we can't find food," Clarke reasoned grimly. "We should keep moving. It's going to be dark soon."

Parker followed after Clarke and Octavia, Finn beside her, and Monty and Jasper behind. She knew that what was left on earth wasn't remotely similar to the life it had sustained before, but to see a deer with a second face? It made her wonder how much radiation was really there. Could they be dying and not know it?

"I didn't like that deer," she spoke up.

Finn's head snapped to the side. "Pretty creepy, huh?"

"Not just that," Parker shook her head. "The fact that the radiation is that powerful and present makes me worried."

Finn snorted. "Come _on_ , double trouble."

Parker raised her eyebrows skeptically. "What, you don't think so? Did you see the second face on that thing?"

"Of course I did, but listen – if there was really that much radiation, wouldn't we have felt it by now? Wouldn't there be side effects to that crap?"

Parker sighed. "That's true. We would not be ourselves."

"Exactly!" Finn exclaimed. "Be positive, Parker! We're alive! We're young! We're on Earth! It's a great time to be alive!"

Parker cracked a smile. He was right, as much as she hated to admit it.

"Yeah, Parks, quit killing the vibe out here!" Octavia interrupted cheerfully. "You're so negative sometimes!"

"Fly towards positivity, Parker! Be free, butterfly!" Jasper joined in, putting his arm around her.

"Have you ever even seen a butterfly?" countered Monty.

Jasper suddenly went quiet. "Uhhh…no?"

They all laughed as Parker pushed his arm off her shoulders.

 _As long as they're with me, I'll never have any time to be grumpy,_ Parker thought, amused at the previous conversation. _But I might get grumpy if we can't find any food in time._

The sun dipped low over the lush green hills. The sky turned wonderful colors the group of teenage criminals had never seen before. Parker was particularly taken with the sight. She had always dreamed of seeing a sunset, and now she had the chance to experience one for herself.

However, Clarke pointed out that the way they had to keep going was downhill, so the view of the sunset would be blocked. Parker sighed as the group started their descent into the forest again.

"I want to know why the sky isn't so blue at certain times, then is so bright at other times," Jasper commented as they all scrambled down the hill through thick brush.

"You know what I'd like to know?" Finn called back at him. "Why send us down today, after ninety-seven years? What changed?"

"Who cares?" Octavia scoffed. "I'm just glad they did! I woke up rotting in a cell –," she grabbed onto a tree trunk and twirled around it, "– and now I'm spinning in a forest!"

She grinned flirtatiously at Finn, but he merely marched past, still looking for an answer. Parker made a mocking expression as she walked by her best friend. Octavia rolled her eyes and followed after.

"Maybe they found something on a satellite," Monty suggested, "like an old weather satellite, or - …"

"It wasn't a satellite," Clarke confirmed. "The Ark is dying."

Parker stopped mid-stride, a panic flying through her. She fell into step beside Clarke as she passed. "What do you mean the Ark's dying?"

"I mean it's failing us," Clarke said firmly. "At the current population level, there's roughly three months left of life support, maybe four now that we're gone."

Parker's jaw dropped. "And that's the secret they locked you up to keep?"

Clarke nodded, still staring straight ahead as the others trailed behind.

"That's why they kept you in solitary; floated your old man?" Finn wondered.

The blonde sighed. "My father was the engineer who discovered the flaw. He thought people had the right to know. The council disagreed, my _mother_ disagreed; they were afraid it would cause a panic. We were going to go public anyway when Wells…"

Clarke's words trailed off into nothing.

Parker knew what that meant. She kept to herself, while Monty voiced the same conclusion.

"What? Turned in your dad?" he finished.

Parker held her breath as she waited for Clarke to answer. This wouldn't have been an easy time of her life.

"Anyway, the guards showed up before we could. That's why today. That's why it was worth the risk. Even if we all die, at least they bought themselves some time."

Parker's mind was going crazy. It made sense. But then a realization hit her like a sack of bricks to the brain.

"They're going to kill more people, aren't they?" she said shakily.

Everyone except Octavia was horrified at Parker's deduction. She flounced out in front of the group, a sour expression on her face.

"Good," she replied bitterly. "After what they did to me, I say float 'em all."

"Octavia," Parker warned under her breath as the younger girl went ahead.

"You don't mean that," Jasper said, hot on her heels.

"Is she always like this?" Monty chuckled slightly, shaking his head and turning to Parker.

Parker sighed, not completely sure of her reply. "No. I mean, she is, but she's not. At least, not usually...most of time. Does that make sense?"

Monty looked puzzled. "Uh, not really."

They both looked over to see Clarke bump into Jasper, who was staring off at Octavia dreamily. Parker's jaw dropped as she observed her best friend out on the rocks, taking off her clothes.

"Damn, I love earth," Jasper said breathlessly. "Holy…"

"Octavia!" Parker yelled, stepping out in front of Jasper. "Octavia, what the hell do you think you're doing?!"

Octavia shot the group a mischievous grin and leapt off the side of the river, a small wave hitting the rocks with a loud slap as she made contact with the water.

Parker, closely followed by the rest of the group, rushed over to the edge of the rocks. She peered down to see Octavia nose-deep in the river. She groaned and slapped a hand to her forehead.

"Don't you scare me like that!" she reprimanded.

Octavia raised one eyebrow at her best friend mischievously.

"Octavia, we can't swim!" called Monty from behind.

"No, but we can stand," she replied, giggling and doing just that. She turned to Parker. "Come on in, Parks! The water is…amazing."

Parker wrinkled her nose in skepticism. She was always a little afraid of the notion of floating in water, or being in the water at all. It seemed dangerous.

"I don't know, O."

"Wait," Clarke cut in, looking at their surroundings, "there's not supposed to be a river here."

"Well, there is, so take off your damn clothes," Finn grinned, throwing off his jacket.

Parker watched the rest as they began stripping.

"You're really not going to get in?" wondered Monty, slipping his arm out of a sleeve.

Parker shook her head. "No, no, I'm fine. I'd rather not."

"Suit yourself!" he shrugged.

Parker sighed and trudged over to Clarke. "Are you getting in?"

"Why not?" Clarke mused. "Might as well live a little, right?"

"Sure," said Parker half-heartedly.

"You know, for being called the 'double-trouble criminal,' you're really not very…criminal-esque," Finn laughed.

A small smile played along Parker's lips. "I, uh, I'm not really that – "

"Adventurous?" he smirked.

A full blown smile burst through. "I guess you could say that."

"Octavia, get out of the water," Jasper urged suddenly.

Parker whipped around to see a large, dark shape hurtling itself towards Octavia. It slinked through the water at a rapid pace, getting closer by the second. Fear paralyzed her. She couldn't speak nor move.

"Get out of the water NOW!" shouted Jasper.

Octavia shrieked at the creature pulled her under with a large splash.

"OCTAVIA!" Jasper screamed. "No…"

Parker watched in horror as it dragged her best friend down further into the water. The surface of the river went still again, as if there was no movement under the water.

The wheels in her head spun, hammering out a plan. She immediately rushed to the top of the rocks and flung off her deep, dark green jacket and dark maroon combat boots. She pushed her black trousers down and quickly stepped out of them. She tugged off her navy blue t-shirt and stood, waiting in just her underwear.

The others scrambled over to the middle of the rocks, passing her with no second looks. They all kept their eyes on the river.

Suddenly, Octavia popped up again on the other side, screeching. She thrashed wildly in the water, fighting to free herself from the animal's grip.

Parker's breathing went heavy. She knew what she was going to have to do, but she wasn't fond of the idea. She marched forward to the side where Octavia was taken, her eyes darting around the water frantically. There was a small, raised plateau by the other edge of the rocks. If she could jump in, distract it, and quickly wade over to the plateau, then the gross animal thing couldn't follow her. The water would be much too shallow. That would give them time to rescue Octavia. A stupid plan, but a plan.

"What the hell is that?" Monty blurted, breaking the horrified silence that had fallen over all the delinquents.

"We have to help her!" Finn cried.

"What are you gonna do?" asked Jasper quickly.

Finn was blunt. "Try not to get eaten." He threw off his outer layer.

"No. Wait," stopped Clarke, putting a hand out. "If we can distract it – "

Parker took that as her cue. She jumped, the water sloshing all around her.

The water was slightly chilly, just cold enough to shock her body. Her feet stung from landing on the small pebbles that lined the riverbed, but she ignored it. She splashed around and yelled, "Hey, you oversized worm! Over here!"

Finn hurried over to the edge where Parker stood. His eyes went wide in shock. "What the hell are you doing? MOVE!"

Parker's limbs finally worked with her. She stumbled and splashed through the water, moving as fast as she possibly could. She wasn't used to the heavy gravity of earth yet, and being in the water did nothing to help that whatsoever.

"Parker, it's almost to you!" Finn shouted desperately.

Parker's labored breathing only became more shallow as she kept on. Her mouth was dry and fear shook her to the bone, but she didn't look back.

She scrambled up onto the higher rock, water lapping at her ankles as she stood. Her entire body trembled, and she collapsed onto her knees as the giant water snake swam back-and-forth in front of her, twice.

She looked over to see Jasper in the water with Octavia. She held onto him for dear life.

"Are you okay?" Finn demanded fervently.

Parker nodded, breathing deeply. But then the snake left Parker alone and began to slither back towards Jasper and Octavia.

"Get out now! It's headed right for you, guys!" she warned.

She looked down to see that her plateau connected right with the one that Jasper was pulling Octavia onto.

"You got this, Jasper, come on! Keep moving, O, keep moving!" she encouraged as she swiftly jogged over through the ankle-deep water.

She reached the two the same time as Clarke, Finn, and Monty did.

"Not that adventurous, huh" Finn smiled at her.

She smirked. "Whatever."

She watched, relieved, as Clarke tore off a strip of cloth from Jasper's shirt and tied a tourniquet to Octavia's wounded leg.

"You're going to be okay," Clarke told Octavia.

But Octavia was too busy hugging Jasper in thanks. Parker knelt next to him and patted his shoulder.

"Note to self – next time, save the girl," Monty joked, slapping a hand onto Jasper's arm.

Everyone chuckled, resting on the rocks for a moment.

"My brother's going to kill me," Octavia sighed as she glanced down at her hurt leg.

"On the contrary," Parker replied grimly, "he's going to kill me."

Jasper scoffed. "Why would be kill _you?"_

Parker smoothed back her light brown, that faded into ash-blonde, hair and inhaled loudly through her nose. "Let's just say Bellamy and I didn't exactly get off on the right foot."

She turned to Octavia and smirked. "Let's get you clothed, shall we?"

The younger girl laughed heartily. "Parker Nathan, you're wearing less clothing than I am!"

Parker rolled her eyes. "Yeah, well it was for a good cause. At least I wasn't getting almost-naked because I wanted to."

"Yeah, whatever," Octavia giggled, nudging Parker's leg with her foot.

Jasper kindly helped Octavia up off the rocks, holding her arm around his neck protectively. Parker resisted the urge to roll her eyes again when she noticed him staring off at Octavia dreamily.

"Okay, Fruit Fly," Parker said jokingly. She unhooked Octavia's arm from around his neck and slung it over her own shoulders. "Your chivalry privileges have been revoked. Stop ogling my best friend or I'll – "

"Or you'll what?" Jasper smirked, crossing his arms.

Parker raised her eyebrows, trying her best not to crack a grin. "Or I'll kick your ass."

Finn and Monty both started laughing at Jasper while Clarke merely smiled.

Parker led Octavia up the rocks and to her own pile of clothes.

"Was he really starting at me?" she wondered as she stepped into her jumpsuit.

"Like a little kid on Unity Day morning," Parker relayed.

"I thought he was staring at you," the younger girl chuckled.

Parker scoffed. "Yeah, right, O. You're delusional."

"Hey, you're the one in just your underwear!" defended Octavia.

Parker huffed in amusement and continued to get dressed.

* * *

"What do we do now?" Monty speculated when Parker and Octavia were fully clothed. "It's going to be dark soon."

"We find someplace to settle in for the night," Clarke said. "We need the rest anyways. With the increased gravity, we're going to get tired a lot faster. We're using more of our muscles than we ever have before. And that's why we need to get to Mt. Weather as soon as the sun rises."

"Then let's get searching," Finn suggested. "Let's find the perfect campsite."

The group walked only a few minutes before they found a nice spot of ground full of soft moss to sleep on.

Parker was more than happy to lie down and gaze up at the night sky. She was sick of the darkness, but on Earth, darkness was never really darkness. The moon was different, less full. The sky wasn't black, but, seemingly, a dark blue, like her t-shirt. There was a certain peace that was unwavering on the Ground, while on the Ark, peace was momentary. The hum of machinery was constant, like a consistent ringing in her ears. But down below, there was nothing. She could be in absolute silence.

Parker was the first asleep, and the last to wake.

"Hey, Parker," whispered Octavia.

Parker groaned and fluttered her eyes. "What is it?"

"Time to get up. Mt. Weather, remember?"

This kick-started Parker's brain. She sat bolt upright, wide awake. She knew how important getting that food was, not only to them, but to the rest of the hundred back at the dropship. She could only imagine what they must have been feeling.

Then, her stomach growled loudly. Okay, she knew exactly what they were feeling: hungry.

"Is there anything to eat?" she asked.

Clarke came over with a leaf full of water and offered it to Parker. Parker drank happily, relishing in the fresh taste.

"That's so much better than water on the Ark," she commented, standing. "Thanks."

"No problem. But now we have to face a problem – getting supplied back to the others. Come on, let's head out," announced Clarke.

They had reached another, deeper, river around midday. They had been debating on how to get across for about fifteen minutes.

"I bet we could use that tangle of vines right there as a rope to swing across," Parker reasoned.

"Well, let's test it then," Monty suggested.

"I'll do it," Jasper volunteered.

"Okay, but I'm going first," Finn chimed in.

"I was just gonna say that," muttered Octavia as the two boys ran up the small hill of rocks.

"Hey, you'll get your chance to be Queen of the Jungle at some point," Parker mocked.

"You know, Parks, I've never see you in such a good mood before," the younger girl noticed. "What's up?"

Parker froze. She hadn't noticed how good she was feeling that morning.

"I don't know," she answered honestly. "Maybe it's a combination of finally being free of the Ark and sleeping really well for the first time in my entire life. There's no certain death looming over my head like there was in the Skybox. I'm free to live like a normal teenager. Heck, I'm legally an adult on the Ark, but down here, I feel like I'm ten again. Not worrying about my future or stuck in a cell. It's nice to have the chance to lighten up. I'm not going to die anytime soon. I'm not going to be sentenced to float. We're on Earth. I guess I just feel like…anything is possible for me."

Octavia could only blink.

"What?" asked Parker. "Was that weird?"

"No, it's just…you're so…hopeful," Octavia observed. "You almost never laughed before."

"I never saw you do anything crazy, so I guess we've both seen something different in each other," smiled Parker. "It's nice to see you free of containment, by the way. I know you've always dreamed about it."

Octavia sighed quietly. "Yeah, but Bellamy down here? Trying to tell me what to do? Nuh uh. He can't do that to me."

"He's just trying to do what's best for you," countered Parker. "I kind of understand."

"Yeah, I get it, but…I need to find out who I really am," said Octavia seriously. "And I can't do that when Bell is going to be constantly watching me behind my back. And please, I know you're my sister, but don't be Bellamy. Don't try to hold me back from doing something I'm determined to do."

Parker merely raised her eyebrows. To some point, she agreed with her best friend, but part of her didn't. "Look, I get it. You know that I do. But I can't agree on every little insanely dangerous thing you want to do. I'm going to want to keep you safe, too, and I know you'll not worry about me because I like being safe, but you have to keep listening to me. At least listen to me, if not Bellamy. But I know that I also am your best friend, and, at the end of the day, I'm not your biological family. Bellamy is. But I can try to do my best to keep him from getting in your space."

Octavia looked somewhat disgruntled at the plan, but she held up her hands in defeat. "Alright, fine. But if I sneak away sometimes – which I _will_ and you _won't_ stop me – you have to cover my ass for me. Bell's gonna come looking every single time."

Parker grinned. "I got you covered."

She looked over to see Clarke and Monty waiting directly below Finn and Jasper. She and Octavia, who hadn't noticed the two walk away, strode over.

"You wanted to go first," Clarke yelled up to Finn impatiently. "Now quit stalling! Mt. Weather awaits."

"Just hang on till the apogee, and you'll be fine," Jasper encouraged.

"The apogee. Like the Indians, right?" Finn questioned, obviously trying to hold off jumping.

"Apogee, not Apache," Jasper clarified.

"He knows. Today, Finn," Clarke said firmly.

"Aye aye, captain," he joked. He turned to Jasper. "See you on the other side."

Finn leaned back, vine tangle in his hands, ready to launch off to the other side, when Jasper startled him with a loud, "wait!"

"What?"

"Let me. I can do it."

Jasper smiled sheepishly down at Octavia, then glanced back at his new friend. Finn picked up on why Jasper wanted to go first, grinning slightly. He handed over the makeshift rope and slapped Jasper on the shoulder.

"Knew there was a badass in there somewhere," he joked.

Parker chuckled slightly at the interchange.

But then, she saw hesitation cross Jasper's face. She understood. It was a long way across and the vine might break, sending him into the water, where he couldn't swim…yeah. It was a little frightening to think about.

"Hey, it's okay to be afraid, Jasper. The trick is not fighting it."

Jasper looked over to Finn in thanks, a boost of confidence flowing through him.

"See you on the other side," he laughed, still sounding the slightest bit nervous.

And then, without any warning, he took off, like the magnificent fruit fly Parker saw him as. He sailed through the air, whooping in delight. He soared across to the other bank, then hurled himself at the shoreline, his foot hitting a pile of wood as he landed.

Parker hurried up to the front of the rocks, heart beating quickly in anticipation. She hoped Jasper was unharmed.

She got her answer when he turned around and raised his arms in the air.

"WE ARE APOGEE!"

She cheered with the others. "GO JASPER! YEAH!"

"WHOO!"

"YES!"

"YEAH!"

"YOU DID IT, JASPER!"

He did a jig to celebrate his safe landing on the riverside. Parker laughed harder than she had in years. This was truly a moment to remember for her.

"Let's go, princess. You're up," Finn told Clarke.

"Come on, Clarke! WHOO! You got this! ApoGEEE!"

Parker noticed something silver reflect off the sun's rays near where Jasper was standing.

"Jasper!" she hollered. "What's that shiny thing behind you?"

Jasper spun on his heel and hopped up to the silvery object. He uncovered it from the pine needles and dirt and smiled. He held up the rusted and broken sign like a trophy.

"We did it! MOUNT WEATHER! WHOO! WHOO!"

"YES!" Monty applauded.

Octavia and Parker laughed as Jasper continued to celebrate.

"Yeah, Jasper!"

But, out of nowhere, a long, thin object pierced the air above their heads. Parker watched in horror as a spear sliced into the middle of Jaspar's chest.

Parker was stunned. She couldn't even find the words to say anything. Octavia yelled for Jasper, but Parker barely heard her. Her eyes were glued to Jasper's unmoving body on the other side of the water.

She finally came to her senses when Monty pulled her over to the underside of the rocky bank.

"Get down, get down!" Finn warned.

Parker knelt between Monty and Octavia, Clarke and Finn on the other side of Monty. They all breathed heavily, terrified for their lives.

Parker lost all sense of freedom. She was suddenly full of dread. She could die here. There was still a chance. She wasn't free from any of what she left on the Ark, besides her own cell.

Clarke announced what they were all thinking.

"We're not alone."

* * *

 **Thank you all so much for reading this chapter of** _ **Landfill!**_

 **This chapter actually took me a really long time to put together, as I had to start in the middle of episode 1, but I think it came together quite nicely overall. There is so much more in store for Parker and the storyline of the 100, as it will change now that Parker is in the picture.**

 **Thanks so much to those who have reviewed, followed, and favorited! I appreciate it so much. I'll answer some reviews right now!**

12: Thank you so much for reviewing! And don't worry, the storyline is going to change because of Parker. I'm just getting the ball rolling! :)

Guest: Thank you! Here it is haha. :)

Bee-Back: Well, thank you so much! I'll be posting more soon, so don't worry. :)

Donny Donowitz: First of all, I think your username is awesome. Second of all, thank you so much! I really appreciate that you like it! I really tried to make Octavia and Parker's friendship somewhat unique, as they spent a year of their life together in confined quarters. And there is so much more in store for Octavia and Parker's relationship, trust me. :)

 **I will be posting the next chapter as soon as I can, so stay tuned! Please don't forget to review, follow, and favorite. :)**


	3. Anger (Earth Skills - part 1)

Chapter 3: Anger (Earth Skills – pt. 1)

* * *

The five teens tore through the dense foliage of the woods at the base of Mt. Weather.

Parker's breathing was fast and heavy, her chest rising and falling in a steady beat. She was terrified. She felt empty. All of the hope and life that she had been full of before had quickly drained out once she saw Jasper lying on the ground; lifeless and bleeding, with eyes wider than the moon. She was in a rotten mood, but fear had taken over her entire being.

Her hands shook as she ran at the head of the group, just behind Monty. She had barely noticed Octavia limping at a strange gallop not too far behind.

With every step, Parker could only think on one sentence. The phrase repeated over and over in her mind. _Jasper's dead, Jasper's dead, Jasper's dead…_

As they rounded a bend, Monty went down hard and fast.

Parker skidded to a stop, grabbing her friend's arm frantically.

"Monty, come on," she urged breathlessly.

Octavia stopped, too, and grasped his other arm. "Get up!"

"Come on, we got to go!" Finn said quickly, his voice an octave too high.

"Monty, get up!" Octavia hissed, tugging on the boy's arm.

Parker did the same, trying to help Monty back onto his feet. Then, she noticed that everyone else had become petrified, staring down at the ground near Monty's head.

It was a ribcage. A ribcage attached to hips with bones scattered all around. Her eyes went round and the ringing in her ears began to go shrill. Her breathing quickened.

"Who are they?" wondered Finn.

Clarke bent down and picked up a disfigured skull from beside her feet. _"What_ are they?"

With one final heave, Monty was standing once again.

"We are so screwed," Octavia breathed.

"You can say that again," Parker said, voice unsteady.

"Okay," the younger girl deadpanned, "we are so screwed."

"Stop it," barked Parker.

Suddenly, through the eerie silence of the surrounding wood, came a bloodcurdling scream.

Parker's heart skipped a beat.

Clarke dropped the skull. "Jasper. He's alive."

"What the hell," Parker muttered in complete shock as Clarke scurried past.

Finn was hot on her heels. "Clarke, wait. Wait!"

Parker and Octavia exchanged worried looks and took off after Clarke, Finn, and Monty, who had sprinted off behind Finn and Clarke.

As they approached the riverbank, Finn clutched Clarke's shoulder, holding her back.

"Stay in the trees," he advised.

Parker looked out onto the other side of the river, expecting to see Jasper lying there in agony. But there was no Jasper with his large goggles and spear jutting from his body. There was just the silver Mt. Weather sign.

"He was right there," Finn said, puzzled.

"No, where is he?" Monty panicked.

"Holy crap," Parker gasped in realization. "Holy crap. They took him."

"Who's they?" Octavia asked quietly.

"Whoever took Jasper, that's who," Clarke said firmly.

The rain started to drizzle down on the five, then turned to a full on downpour.

"We need to go after him," Octavia spoke up, rain soaking her dark hair. "We have to save him."

She started towards the edge of the trees, but Parker took a fistful of the back of her jacket and yanked. Octavia stumbled back, angry.

"Parker, we can't just sit here!" said Octavia. "Being a coward is no excuse!"

Parker fumed, biting back. "I'm not using my own fear as an excuse! We've got no weapons or backup. We can't just barge through the forest after him and expect to get out alive."

"She's right," Monty replied dejectedly. "There's nothing we can do."

"We _will_ go after him, just not this second," Clarke said. "Now let's get out of here before another one of us is put down."

The blonde turned and quickly made her way down through the trees. Monty and Octavia followed.

Parker took one anxious last look at the river bank before Finn grabbed her arm.

"Quick, let's go. Before they take us, too," he said.

Parker sighed and raced after the others with Finn.

As they jogged the route back to camp, Parker thought about what had just happened.

Octavia's comment had felt like a knife in the back. She knew that Parker wasn't the bravest, nor the biggest risk-taker. Parker had lost a lot of confidence in herself when she got locked up in the Skybox. She used to be more like Octavia – unwavering in her own decisions, self-assured, up for a challenge. Heck, she used to trade her own rations, and extras she had picked up, for her own dying mother. She was aware of the consequences, but was willing to face them if that meant her mom was going to live.

The assault on the guard, however, was something that Parker knew was out of line. It wasn't out of character, though. She used to be sneaky and silent, like an assassin. Those guards that had made fun of her at training were going to see how strong she was, how amazing her fighting skills really were. But she was foolish. She knew that now, and even then, deep down, she believed she had known that, too. But her own confidence had betrayed her. She had betrayed herself. And when she had gotten arrested and found guilty of both crimes, she knew that she had messed up. Big time.

The journey to camp seemed to take a lot less time than the trek to Mt. Weather did. It was late afternoon by the time they approached the outskirts of the dropship.

Voices echoed from the southern part of the criminals' setup.

"Wonder what's going on over there," Monty commented as the yelling grew louder.

"I don't know," Clarke replied. "Let's find out."

As their approach continued, Octavia fell behind, pulling Parker with her. The older girl didn't question it, but her eyebrows scrunched, as if wondering was Octavia was going to say.

The younger girl sighed. "I'm sorry."

"What for?"

"Don't play dumb, Parker. You know."

Parker took a deep breath. The coward thing. She remembered. "It's fine."

"No, it's not," Octavia countered. "And don't act like it is. Look, I really am sorry. I didn't mean it. It was stupid of me to say in the first place."

Parker looked her best friend square in the face, eyes squinted. "Yeah, it was really stupid to say. But you're forgiven."

Octavia smiled slightly. "Thanks."

"You're welcome. Just please make sure your brother doesn't roast me alive when he sees you," Parker replied matter-of-factly, grabbing Octavia's arm. "Your leg's getting worse, isn't it?"

Octavia shifted her weight and cringed, then nodded.

"Alright, let me help you," said Parker, throwing Octavia's arm over her shoulders.

"Thanks."

"What are friends for?"

"Making fun of."

"I meant besides that, O."

The younger girl leaned the weight of her right leg on Parker as they trailed behind the rest of the group.

The voices of the rest of the hundred grew louder and louder as they came to a small hill. Down below, Parker saw two boys fighting while a taller one with dark hair looked on. A crowd of the other delinquents watched from the slope of a hill on their right, egging on the fight with shouts of approval.

Finn and Clarke were halfway down the hill when Parker and Octavia started their own ramble down.

Suddenly, the darker skinned boy took advantage of the other and held a crude knife to his throat.

"Wells!" bellowed Clarke. She bounded down the rest of the slope. "Let him go!"

Parker was focused on helping Octavia down, but heard the slam of a body being thrown to the ground, then a rustle of clothing as a person was held back.

"Whoa, hey! Enough, Murphy," Bellamy said.

Monty stayed on a log at the bottom and grabbed Octavia's free hand for support. I held onto her upper torso as she stepped down off the fallen tree trunk.

Bellamy must have seen Octavia struggling, and he strode over. Monty moved out of the way as Bellamy grabbed his sister out of Parker's grasp.

"Octavia, are you all right?"

She didn't have time to answer before Bellamy turned an accusatory eye at Parker.

"You. You let this happen!"

Parker immediately fired back, still slightly angry from her argument with Octavia and overwhelmed with the fact that she had just seen her friend get speared and dragged off in front of her. Her emotions ran wild and she didn't care who saw her explode. She was afraid of the survivors on the ground, not moronic, insensitive Bellamy Blake.

"Excuse me?" she spat at him, jumping down from the log. "This was not in any way _my doing!"_

"Yeah, right! I told you to stay away from my sister! I bet this never would have happened if you had just listened to me!" Bellamy shot back.

"You son of a bitch!" hollered Parker, her ears turning a bright red. "I risked my own damn life to save Octavia! If not for me, she might be dead!"

"Then why aren't you wounded, too?!"

"I would have been if I hadn't gotten to shore on time!"

"To shore? You let her go swimming?!"

"HEY!" screeched Octavia. She pushed away from Bellamy and stood her ground, shooting glares at both her older brother and best friend.

Parker could almost feel the smoke curling from her ears. How dare he accuse her of getting Octavia hurt! Did he even care that she helped save his sister from certain death? Of course he didn't!

"I went into the water by myself, Bellamy! Parker tried to stop me and I didn't listen. She finally did get in when she found out that I could have been _killed!_ Stop being an idiot and _listen_ for once in your life!" Octavia scolded.

Parker stared bullets into Bellamy's face, while he just grit his teeth. He didn't dare make eye contact with his little sister. He did, however, send a dirty look Parker's way.

"We'll deal with this later." He turned back to the others. "Where's the food?"

Finn sat on a stray fallen tree. "We didn't make it to Mt. Weather."

"What the hell happened out there?" asked Bellamy.

"We were attacked," Clarke responded hastily.

"Attacked?" questioned Wells. "By what?"

"Not what," Parker chimed in, pushing away her flaring rage at Bellamy Blake and the entire Earth for a couple of seconds. "Who."

"It turns out, when the last man from the ground died on the Ark, he wasn't the last Grounder," Finn explained.

"It's true," Clarke persisted. "Everything we thought we knew about the Ground is wrong. There are people here. Survivors. The good news is, that means we can survive. Radiation won't kill us."

"Yeah, the bad news is the Grounders will," commented Finn grimly.

"Nicely put," said Parker sarcastically.

The entire group of teenage criminals were silent for a moment. Wells glanced around.

"Where's the kid with the goggles?"

"Jasper was hit. They took him," Clarke replied. She glanced down at his arm. "Where's your wristband?"

Parker frowned slightly as she looked at Wells' arm. There wasn't a wristband. Parker had known Wells on the Ark just a little, but she knew that he was not the type of person to take off his band willingly.

Wells tugged his arm out of Clarke's grasp. "Ask him."

He nodded at Bellamy.

Parker's head snapped to the side, her eyes shooting daggers at the older boy. She hoped he fell into a hole and died there.

"How many?" Clarke demanded, stepping forward.

It was at this time that squished-face kid, Murphy, spoke up. It was as if he was bragging about the wristband removal count. He was proud. "Twenty-four and counting."

Parker's eyebrows shot up. Twenty-four? _Twenty-four?_ Holy crap.

She was glad when Clarke made an announcement to the entirety of the crowd.

"You idiots! Life support on the Ark is failing. That's why they brought us down here! They need to know the ground is survivable again and we need their help against whoever's out there. If you take off your wristbands, you're not just killing them – you're killing us!"

A murmur spread throughout the others. Hushed, fervent voices could be heard out of most teens. They were reconsidering their self-appointed leader and his plans.

 _Speaking of their self-appointed, egotistical leader and all of his wonderful plans,_ Parker thought miserably as Bellamy stepped forward.

She noticed a strange, bulky shape under his shirt near his elbow. That was not normal, unless he had some sort of weird growth out the back of his side. Then she made out a shape – it was a pistol. He had brought one down from the Ark. It was slightly chilling to know that their only real weapon was one that was in the hands of an illogical authoritarian. What if he ended up using the bullets on the hundred instead of the Grounders?

"We're stronger than you think," he argued. "Don't listen to her. She's one of the privileged. If they come down, she'll have it good. How many of you can say the same? We can take care of ourselves! That wristband on your arm? It makes you a prisoner. We are not prisoners anymore! They say they'll forgive your crimes. I say you're not criminals!"

Parker rolled her eyes.

 _We were in the Skybox, Bellamy,_ she thought, annoyed. _By definition, we committed crimes, so we're criminals. Think before you speak, moron._

"You're fighters, survivors! The Grounders should worry about us!"

A clamor emerged from the crowd. People yelled in agreement, lifting their clenched fists and supporting the words of Bellamy.

Parker scoffed at the lot of them.

 _Idiots,_ she scorned them. _Nothing but idiots._

She saw Monty and Clarke stalk off towards the dropship. She knew what they were planning. They had to save Jasper.

She turned to Octavia and nodded her head towards the two.

"I'm going with them."

"To do what? Walk into your own executions?"

"We can't just leave him, Octavia."

"Duh, I know that. If you're going to go, at least take me with you. We're all dead anyway."

Parker narrowed her eyes at her friend in confusion, speaking up louder as Bellamy continued to rally his troops.

"What we need to do is build a wall," he encouraged. "Let's show them they don't scare us! Let's show them who really owns the Ground!"

"We are not all dead!" Parker argued. "We are going to get through this. You're in pain and it's making you grumpy. Go sit down!"

She pointed at a log, almost as if ordering her friend to rest.

Octavia gave her a disdainful look, but went anyways.

"I'll be back, okay? I'm going to go see what they're up to. And, yes, I know, you don't like to obey your elders or whatever, but just…stay off that leg!" said Parker, jogging off to catch up with Clarke and Monty.

It didn't take her long to make it up the hill and back to camp. She spotted her new friends heading straight for the dropship. She quickened her pace and caught up.

"What's the plan?" she asked firmly.

Clarke and Monty glanced over at her warily.

 _"You_ want to come on this mission?" Clarke inquired, as if unsure.

Parker frowned as Monty fidgeted uncomfortably.

"What do you talking about? Of course I do. Jasper needs our help. And, at this point, not many people are going to volunteer. They're all roped into Bellamy Blake's campaign for dictator of Earth," Parker explained, an obvious, yet annoyed, tone lacing her words. "You need me. Besides, I was the one with the quickest thinking when Octavia was in trouble. I've got some valuable skills."

She stopped at the bottom of the dropship ramp, while Clarke turned and stared down at her from the top. Monty came to a halt in the middle, glanced between the two of them, then nodded at Clarke.

Clarke raised her eyebrows, considering Parker's logic.

"Alright, you're coming," she concluded. "But we've got to figure out how to make packs or bags of some sort. Can you do that?"

Parker looked past her into the dropship, then saw all the possible supplies she could use to make backpacks for them all. She smiled slightly and rushed past. She picked up a seatbelt and rushed over to a loose panel on the side of the dropship. She pulled out a piece of insulation.

"I can definitely put something together," she grinned.

Clarke almost smiled back, but she didn't. "Great. I'm going to get supplies together to pull Jasper out of whatever situation the Grounders have him in. Monty, if you could try contacting the Ark – "

"What about stuff for the rescue?"

"Leave that to me and Parker," Clarke said. Then she climbed up the ladder and onto the second floor of the dropship, closing the latch with a loud clank behind her.

My eyes flickered to Monty, who merely raised his brow at Parker.

"Hand me that extra lamp?" he asked.

She tossed it to him, and he caught it with ease.

She found a small, sharp piece of metal to use as a needle and, for some reason, several long, thin shoelaces to use as thread. The shoelaces must have been from the shoes of the two guys who'd died during landing.

Parker set to work sewing the insulation up into a makeshift pack. It wasn't fantastic handiwork, but the laces and insulation were sturdy enough to make it work.

She used the makeshift need to tear a hold near the top of the opening of the bag, then strung the seatbelt through it and buckled the belt. I held it up to eye level. The opening of the bag wasn't huge, and there was nothing to close it with, but it would have to do.

"Not bad," Monty complimented.

Parker scoffed. It wasn't great. "Thanks."

"Seriously," he replied, turning back to work on the electrical panel of the ship, "it's good. We're going to need stuff like that if we're going to survive."

She didn't answer. He was right. We were going to need to utilize all of our resources if we wanted to live here on the Ground. And having Bellamy go and let everyone have free reign over pretty much everything was not helping the situation at all.

She thought back to her blowup with Bellamy just minutes earlier. She could still feel her ears puffing smoke. For some reason, when she was blindly livid, her ears would turn crimson and start to burn.

But then, she thought of just moments ago, when Clarke had looked hesitant to let her come along.

"Why did Clarke look so surprised when I said I wanted to go?" she said aloud.

She didn't realize that she hadn't thought it when Monty responded.

"You looked pretty terrified out there after Jasper was taken."

Parker's nose wrinkled. She was puzzled. "Well, yeah. It was terrifying. But wasn't everyone scared to some point?"

"Well, sure, but…you turned pale and your eyes were the size of the Ark's thrusters. You seemed to be the most frightened of us all."

Parker's pent up frustration began to leak out. "That doesn't mean I'm not capable of helping rescue Jasper."

"We just weren't sure how you'd deal with seeing Jasper again," Monty explained defensively. "He could be dead for all we know. Seeing him with a spear in his chest was one thing, but a corpse of a friend? We didn't want you to freeze up, that's all."

"Just because I am more expressive does not mean I am incapable of dealing with a dead or dying person," Parker spat out rapid fire, her anger consuming her. "I've seen more than you think. And I'm more valuable than what you and Clarke have labeled me. I'm not some immature airhead who can't handle herself."

Monty shook his head, ashamed. "I'm sorry."

"You should be," Parker countered tartly. She tore through a new pack with more aggression and force than necessary, then angrily buckled the clip.

After several moments, she threw down the tools on the floor and sighed, sticking her head in her hands. Her guilt overwhelmed her.

"I…I'm sorry, Monty," she said quietly. "I lied. I have a hard time controlling my anger sometimes. It's just – it's just that I finally felt like I could be free from death hanging over my head. Yesterday was my eighteenth birthday. I woke up that morning knowing I was going to float, and instead, I was strapped into this stupid dropship, plummeted to earth, and had a new friend get speared through the chest – all in the same day. For once, just for a little while, I knew that I wasn't going to die anytime soon. And now it's hanging over me again, like a black raincloud."

Monty slowly turned from where he was standing, his arms lowering. He looked concerned.

"Parker, it's okay. I understand," he replied kindly. "I know you've gone through some awful things. I think all of us have. But to finally be okay and then have those previous emotions thrown back in? That can't be easy. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you, really. I know you're valuable to us. You're one of the only reasonable people down here. I know your packs are really going to help."

Parker's shoulders slumped slightly at Monty's words. She found comfort in them. Monty wasn't trying to get under her skin like Bellamy. He genuinely thought she could help out the rest of the hundred. He was forgiving.

A small tear trickled down her face. It was nice to know somebody else here understood and could listen. That still excuse her blowup, at least it didn't in her mind.

She quickly swiped the tear away. And composed herself. She buckled a belt into place on a new pack.

"Thanks," she said quietly.

"You're welcome," he responded.

They worked in silence for the next few minutes before Wells made an appearance. Monty and Parker both greeted him with a small nod.

"Did you…make these?" he wondered as he stood over her.

Parker glanced up at him from the dropship floor where she sat. "Yeah. Just a little bit of insulation, a few shoelaces, and a seatbelt. Clarke asked me to."

At this, Wells' eyes lit up. "Where is she?"

"Right above us, salvaging supplies for the rescue mission," Monty chimed in.

"It's just you three going after him?" Wells asked skeptically.

"For now," Parker retorted. "We'll hopefully get more volunteers."

"Well, now you've got one more," confirmed Wells. "I'll take pack."

Parker reached out and handed him the first one. He glanced down to the corner of the dropship and placed it in the pack.

"Parachute to carry Jasper back," he explained. Then he glanced over to the ladder. "I've gotta go talk to her."

Wells spun on his heel and climbed the ladder, twisting the wheel to open the trap door.

"Have fun," muttered Parker sarcastically.

"There you are," they heard him say as he scrambled up the rest of the ladder rungs.

She worked steadily through one more pack while Wells and Clarke talked upstairs. Their voices were muffled until she and Monty heard small clangs on the ladder and Clarke's firm voice clearly.

"It's not your ankle, Wells, it's you."

"You came back for reinforcements. I'm gonna help," he defended.

"Clarke, he's right," Monty stepped forward. "We need him. So far, no one else besides me and Parker have volunteered."

"I'm sorry, Monty, but you're not going either," Clarke sighed apologetically.

Monty moved up past Wells to protest. "Like hell I'm not. Jasper's my best friend."

Parker stood and moved up next to Monty, a pack in her hand. She listened intently to the conversation, not feeling up to joining in.

"You're too important. You were raised by farm station and recruited by engineering," Clarke explained.

"So?"

"So food and communication. What's up here, it's going to save us all." She pointed to his temple. "You figure out how to talk to the Ark and I'll bring Jasper back."

Monty hung his head in discontent. Parker patted his shoulder, giving him a sympathetic smile.

"We'll get him back," she told him quietly.

He nodded.

"Hey. You ready?"

Parker wheeled around to stand next to Clarke, who was talking to Finn.

"I'm not going anywhere. And neither should any of you," he chided. "That spear was thrown with pinpoint accuracy at 300 feet."

"So what, we let Jasper die?" Monty asks desperately.

"That's not going to happen," Clarke proclaimed fiercely. Her head snapped back to Finn, staring at him with a confused, yet disappointed, expression. "Spacewalker? What a joke. You think you're such an adventurer, but you're really just a coward."

Parker's eyebrows shot up. Ooh. That had to have cut deep.

"It's not an adventure, Clarke, it's a suicide mission," he reiterated. "So why is double trouble here going, hm? She told me she's not much of an adventurer."

Parker's eyebrows plummeted down into a scowl. Of course he would turn on her. Just like everybody else on the damn earth.

She opened her mouth to fire back, but Clarke beat her to it.

"Hey, she was the only person who knew exactly what to do when Octavia put herself in danger. It's those kind of smarts we need in order to free Jasper. And she invented these packs. If we need some kind of levee system or something worked out, she's the one we turn to. She's going along, like it or not," she elucidated, frustrated. "Let's go."

She nodded her head at Wells and Parker, each nodding in return.

Clarke walked out without another glance at Finn. Parker, on the other hand, stared him down as she passed. She was angry, oh, she was furious, just as before.

As she trumped down the ramp, Clarke held out a makeshift water pouch.

Parker forgot her anger for a moment and accepted the water gratefully.

"Thank you," she told the blonde.

Clarke shrugged. "It was the truth, but you're welcome."

Parker took a much needed sip from the bottle before stuffing it into her new pack. She noticed Clarke observing the camp.

"What are you looking for?" wondered Parker.

"It's who, not what."

"Well, then who?"

Clarke gave Parker a somewhat grim expression. "You're not going to like who, that's what."

Parker groaned. "Great. Now I get to hang out with our self-established communist. You know he's got a pistol, right?"

"He's not a communist, Parker. He's definitely got his priorities in the wrong place," Clarke replied, a somewhat amused tone to her voice.

Wells trudged out of the dropship. "Are we heading out, or are we just gonna stand here?"

Clarke rolled her eyes. "Follow me."

The whole group felt a negative energy flowing through them as they went through camp. Parker wasn't happy with how Bellamy was running the roost. And to invite him on a rescue mission with a gun in _his possession?_ Parker knew that if she had the pistol, they might actually stand a chance at getting Jasper back from the Grounders.

As they approached Bellamy, who was caring for Octavia's injured leg, Parker steeled her gaze on the older boy. She understood that he wanted to look out for his sister, but she wasn't a kid anymore. She was still young, but she was pretty capable of taking care of herself.

"You could've been killed," she heard him scold as they went around the log Octavia was stuck on.

"She would have been if Parker hadn't distracted it and Jasper didn't jump in to pull her out," Clarke cut in, unsmiling.

"Are you guys leaving? I'm coming, too," Octavia insisted, trying to tug down her pants leg.

"No, no. No way," Bellamy shook his head. "Not again."

"He's right. Your leg's just going to slow us down," Clarke nodded at her. She faced Bellamy with a cold glare. "I'm here for you."

Octavia's eyes widened at Parker. Parker just raised her eyebrows, her eyes flickering back to the dropship, then back to her friend, her shoulders shrugging, as if to say, 'I didn't know she was going to get him for the mission until earlier!'

"Clarke, what are you doing?" Wells questioned, voice panicked.

Parker crossed her arms and looked back at Wells once, as if to tell him to quiet down, then turned back to the exchange.

"I hear you have a gun," Clarke said, ignoring Wells.

Bellamy lifted the side of his shirt to reveal a pistol tucked into the waistband of his trousers.

"Good. Follow me."

"And why would I do that?" demanded Bellamy. He pointed reprovingly at Parker. "Especially with _her_ tagging along? The girl that got my sister hurt? No."

Parker stepped forward, fury dripping off of her like water. She uncrossed her arms and scrunched her fists into a ball, her ears burning like fire.

"I have been through way too much today to be pushed around by some lame ass janitor who has nothing better to do than bully kids younger than you into doing your bidding," she snarled. "Octavia has explained the situation – she chose to get in the frickin' water and something attacked her. I, very kindly, like a friend should, distracted the damn thing so Jasper could get the chance to save her!"

"Then what makes you so special that you go an invited to their nature hike?" Bellamy shouted back. "I am just dying to know!"

"Because I'm smart! I have brains! Brains that invented the stupid pack on my back that can carry supplies to save Jasper, that's why!" she roared back, shoving his shoulder back with her hand.

"If you have brains, then you should have stopped Octavia from jumping into the RIVER!" screamed Bellamy.

During their fight, the two had inched closer, yelling in each other's faces.

"HEY!" screeched Clarke, forcing herself between them.

Parker grit her teeth, hoping that it would stop her from shouting something else. She bit down so hard, she thought a tooth would chip.

"You want to know why she's coming along? Because she's a resource. She's the one who thought to distract the water snake. She's one of the main reasons your sister is sitting here today – alive. Because if we're in the same situation, she'll be the one to act first, to make sure that we're safe even if she's not. She's a real fighter. And if you have a problem with that, you don't have to come along. But you should," Clarke relayed decisively. "Because you want them to follow you, and right now, they're thinking only one of us is scared."

Parker cocked one eyebrow at him, as if challenging him to fight back against Clarke's judgement. He stares blankly at Clarke as she walks away, but sets his jaw when he glances at Parker. She merely shakes her head at him.

She takes one look at Octavia, whose expression read she was trying to apologize for her brother. Parker sighed and waved her hand once at her best friend, then spun to follow Clarke and Wells.

"Murphy," she heard Bellamy call, "come with me. Atom?"

Then, a hand grabbed her arm. She turned only to have Octavia barrel into her for a bear hug.

"Be careful," the younger girl said quietly. "Just get back in one piece with Jasper, okay?"

Parker nodded, suddenly more worried about Octavia than she was about herself. "I'll try."

They let go as Atom and Murphy walked up.

Parker sent stony looks at the boys as she went to traipse through the forest. Again, Octavia caught her arm in her grasp.

"And Parker," Octavia muttered, "watch your back. And if anyone tries anything with you, give 'em hell."

Parker, to her own surprise, smirked at the statement. "Oh, I will."

Octavia smiled back in relief as Parker rapidly made her way up to Clarke and Wells in the front of the pack.

"Where exactly are we headed?" she asked as she fell into step with the two.

"Back to the river," Clarke replied. "We trace him from there."

"Are any of us trackers?" Parker inquired.

"I guess I kinda am," volunteered Wells. "I did well enough in Earth Skills classes on the Ark. I could probably find him."

"Probably is not good enough, Wells," barked Clarke. "That's why we need Finn. He's the best tracker we've got."

"For now, all you've got is me, so you'll just have to deal with it," he retorted.

"I guess so," Clarke deadpanned.

Parker felt like she could cut the tension in the air with a machete.

They walked on in a dangerously awkward silence for the next few miles as Murphy and Bellamy trailed behind. It was almost as if they wanted to slow them down.

Finally, somebody said something.

"Hey, hold up. What's the rush?" Bellamy wondered as he and Murphy appeared in the brush next to them. "You don't survive a spear through the heart."

Parker's inner guard trainee winced at the way he flailed the pistol about.

"Put the gun away, Bellamy," warned Wells, getting closer to the older boy.

Murphy barged his way in and pushed the other boy backwards, a smug look in his eye. "Well, why don't you do something about it, huh?"

"It's not safe to wave it around like that," Parker protested.

"Mind your own business, double trouble," mocked Bellamy.

Parker was so done with him, she just let the comment fly.

"Jasper screamed when they moved him," Clarke interrupted, bringing them all back to the reason they were really out there. "If the spear struck his heart, he'd have died instantly. It doesn't mean we have time to waste."

Bellamy broke out from behind his squish-faced bodyguard and snatched up Clarke and Parker's wristbands.

"As soon as the two of you take off those wristbands, we can go," he threatened.

Clarke tugged her arm out of his grasp, which made him let go of Parker's at the same time.

"The only way the Ark is going to think we're dead is if we're dead. Got it?" Clarke snapped.

Parker scoffed in his direction.

"Little crackhead finally earn her wings?" he sneered at Parker. He turned to Clarke. "Brave princess."

"Hey, why don't you find your own nickname?" Finn defied. He strutted straight out of the bushes and gave Parker and Clarke an almost-smirk. "You call this a rescue party? Got to split up, cover more ground. Clarke, come with me."

Clarke gave Parker a cautious look.

"I got this," Parker whispered back.

Clarke nodded once and set off further up with Finn.

Parker internally groaned at who she was left with. She knew that the journey was going to get even more annoying with just those three at her side.

"We should split into pairs since there's four of us," suggested Wells reasonably. "I'll go with Parker."

Parker, feeling decisively more relieved, started moving forward with Wells, when she felt yet another tug at her arm.

"No, I don't think so."

It was Bellamy who had grabbed her. He leered down at her.

"Change of plans. You be Murphy's partner and I'll be double trouble's," he suggested back lazily, still not releasing his grip.

Parker struggled to pull herself free of his hand clutched tightly on her upper arm as he dragged her in front of the other two.

"You can't just – " Wells started.

"I just did," Bellamy jeered arrogantly.

Parker finally got herself free of his grip, scowling. She adjusted her pack as Bellamy shoved his gun back in his waistband.

She found herself caught. She was stuck as Bellamy's partner, and he had a gun.

* * *

 **Thank you so much for reading this, you guys! I really hope you enjoyed my take the first part of the second episode. I hope to integrate Parker even more into this story as the season goes on. I really hope you're enjoying her.**

 **I know she was kind of angst-y in this chapter and she fought with people a lot, but I promise, it's just because she's so angry. I think having her not be able to control anger very well but other emotions really, really well is interesting, especially because you saw such a protective Parker in the very first chapter.**

 **Anyways, thank you all so much for reading! Next chapter is going to be a lot more action-packed. :)**

 **There was one review for this last chapter, so I'll respond quickly right now:**

12 : First of all, thanks for reviewing again! And yeah, I think Bellamy and Octavia's relationship will definitely change a little thanks to Parker. I think she either has the capability to draw them together or push them away from each other. Yeah, the Charlotte business is going to get interesting, that's for sure. And thank you for your thoughts on the chapter and all! I appreciate it. :) Glad you're liking Parker more!

 **Please don't forget to review, follow, and favorite!**


	4. Good Shot (Earth Skills - part 2)

Chapter 4: "Good Shot" (Earth Skills – pt. 2)

* * *

Parker was anxious.

The day was fading into late afternoon and they still hadn't found Jasper yet.

Granted, they'd only been walking about forty-five minutes with their new 'partners,' but it had felt like another 97 years had passed to Parker. She was uncomfortable.

Bellamy would stare her down as if it was she who started the nuclear apocalypse. Murphy seemed to examine her like prey. Wells looked concerned, more for Clarke than for her. But he kept a close watch on Murphy's movements towards either of them.

Parker was annoyed that Bellamy kept bringing out the weapon and poking around at it.

 _He should know how to properly carry a pistol,_ thought Parker. _He went through guard training, didn't he?_

She said nothing, not wanting to spoil even more of their already sour relationship.

She tried to stick somewhat close to Wells as they kept on through the woods, but he was very focused on something else entirely – Clarke. She understood that he was worried about her. And she could tell that he definitely felt more for her than friendship. He liked her – loved her, even. For some reason, Bellamy had recognized that, too.

"Guess we got more in common than meets the eye, huh?"

Parker rolled her eyes.

"We have nothing in common," Wells protested.

"No?" questioned Bellamy innocently. "We both came down here to protect someone we love."

Wells sighed, disappointed that someone had caught on.

Parker's eyebrows raised. So she was right all along.

"Don't worry, your secret's safe with me," Bellamy said.

Parker couldn't tell if he was joking or serious with the promise.

But, much to Parker's annoyance, Bellamy just kept on talking. "Course, it's worse for you. With Finn around, Clarke doesn't even see you. It's like you're not even here."

Parker didn't look back, but she could hear Wells' heavy breathing. He was angry. Maybe not as angry as she had been, but close.

"Then again," Bellamy continued, "with double trouble here, Octavia doesn't want to listen to me, so maybe we're in the same boat after all."

She could feel his petulant glower on the back of her head, searing holes into her skull. She did her best to keep from smashing his head against a tree.

"It's not my fault she doesn't want to listen to you, Bellamy," Parker chimed in, voice tight.

"Are you sure? Because it seems that you could have stuffed anything into her head about me the year you shared a cell," he retorted, catching up to walk next to her.

Parker frowned, surprised. She didn't even raise her voice. "Is that why you hate me? Because you think I'm going to take your sister away from you?"

Bellamy seemed taken aback, as if she had hit it spot on. He didn't reply.

Parker scoffed. "Dude, you are so wrong. She spoke so highly of you in the Skybox. She loves you. A lot. I think she's tired of being told what to do. I, I mean living under the floor her entire life? Then to be thrown into an actual prison and told that she can't do anything else _again?_ She's blowing off steam. She'll want to listen to you when she calms down. She's sixteen for goodness sakes, just give her – "

"I don't need advice from a girl who was an actual criminal in the Ark," Bellamy cut in, his jaw set. "Especially one who was addicted to morphine tablets. You could have turned her against me! How do I know you didn't? She didn't used to be this difficult!"

At this point, the argument was getting heated enough where they had stopped moving altogether and just stood there yelling.

"The last time you saw her, she was fourteen! She's getting older! She's growing up!" Parker bit back, throwing her hands up in the air.

"I don't think not staying safe is an indication that she's growing up!"

"How do you know?!"

"I was _always_ careful when I was fourteen! I was never this reckless!"

"Well, you're both different people!"

"But we're from the same family!"

"That isn't an excuse!"

"If it's not family, it's you!" shouted Bellamy, jabbing a finger into her shoulder. "You're the one that was her biggest influence these past couple years! You're a damn crackhead! You attacked a guard! What kind of moral compass does that teach her?"

"Moral _compass?"_ Parker laughed bitterly. "You're one to talk! What kind of structure is 'whatever the hell we want?' That is NOT going to work! We'll all end up getting killed by Grounders if we don't get stuff back there into order!"

"We're going to get killed by Grounders now if you two don't shut up!"

Bellamy and Parker's heads snapped to the side to see that it was Finn that had yelled. He, Clarke, Murphy, and Wells stood in a row, staring at them with irritated expressions.

The two glanced back at each other, then at the group.

"He started it!" Parker accused, while Bellamy, at the exact same time, said, "She started it!"

"I don't care who the hell started it," Clarke scolded. "Your raised voices carry and echo through the forest. If we don't stay quiet, we'll alert the Grounders that we're coming after Jasper."

Parker could feel her face turn pink in embarrassment. Bellamy's eyes didn't raise much further than anybody's knees. They were ashamed, but they wouldn't apologize to each other.

"I know that you guys are having issues – " said Clarke.

"You don't say," Murphy commented sarcastically.

Clarke sent a scowl in his direction. " – But you're going to have to move past it and look at the bigger picture. We're out here to save Jasper's life. You can finish whatever's going on between you two once he's back in the dropship, away from the Grounders."

"Away from camp, if possible," Murphy chimed in again, grumpy.

"Shut your mouth, Murphy," Wells barked.

"Hey, I am just commenting on – "

"Can we all just shut up and listen to Clarke?" Finn exasperated.

"Thank you," said Clarke. "Now, the path we're on splits into a lower bank and a higher bank. Finn and I will take the lower bank. You guys take the higher bank. We'll meet up once the path joins back together, which isn't too far ahead. Just keep your eyes open. There may be blood or a trail where Jasper was dragged back."

Parker nodded, willing to follow the plan.

Bellamy, on the other hand, sighed and crossed his arms.

"We'll see you guys soon," Clarke concluded. Then, she and Finn went down a slope and disappeared from sight.

"And then there were four," Murphy remarked.

"Follow me," Bellamy motioned forward towards the higher bank.

Parker sighed, but didn't argue. He had the gun, so it made sense for him to be in front. But, at the same time, Parker knew that she was much more capable of using it properly, at least from what she had observed about his pistol-handling skills.

Bellamy set off up the higher bank.

"Ladies first," smirked Murphy, gesturing up the hill to Parker.

She narrowed her eyes at him. She didn't trust him, but she went anyways.

The four walked along the upper bank. Bellamy lead, Parker right behind, then Murphy, then Wells.

Parker made sure to watch her back as she went along. She knew that both he and Bellamy wanted her wristband off. She didn't like the way he had handled himself on the Ground so far. He had helped Bellamy take off other kids' wristbands, forced Wells to ditch his, and, from what Wells had hinted at, possibly threatened to kill others.

 _And by others,_ she thought, _I think that means Wells._

Parker had no problem with Wells. She trusted his judgment and knew that he had the hundred's best intentions in mind. He wasn't a carbon copy of his father like the others thought. Parker wasn't overly fond of the Chancellor himself, but Wells wasn't his father. He knew that they couldn't stick to the specific laws from the Ark, but wanted to make sure that things were run smoothly and systematically in camp.

Parker looked back to see Wells glancing around the woods cautiously.

She sighed and stared down at the river below. They weren't very far up, but the river was a good ten foot drop down. Anyone who fell would get seriously injured. Parker's stomach shook in nausea. She realized that she wasn't overly fond of heights.

 _I guess you learn something new every day,_ she thought dejectedly.

"So, what made you get addicted to morphine?"

Parker scoffed at the out of the blue question posed by Murphy. She swore she wouldn't tell anyone else but Octavia. She could deal with Murphy being a jackass.

"Why do you care?" she asked genuinely.

"Because it's a hard drug, that's why," he pressed. "There's limited supplies on the Ark. How the hell did you get addicted to it in the first place? Were you really sick as a kid or something? Or just an idiot?"

Parker clenched her jaw and kept quiet.

"He asked you question, double trouble," Bellamy called lazily, not caring enough to turn and face them.

"I don't have to answer the question if I don't want to," she defended, gripping the seatbelt strap of her pack tightly.

"Just leave her alone," Wells jumped in. "We're on the Ground now. Who cares who did what to get here."

"I do," Murphy replied forcefully.

"Fine, then what did you do?" Parker said, one eyebrow arched.

Murphy was silent really quickly.

"None of your damn business, Nathan," he muttered harshly, using her last name.

"Then quit poking around at my life on the Ark," she threw back.

They went on in silence for another few minutes before Bellamy spoke.

"So why won't you take off the wristband? You can't be too happy with Jaha after he threw you in the Skybox. Don't you want to get revenge on him?"

Parker sighed again. She had to be honest. "I've got family back on the Ark. It's not about revenge. If my parents thought that I was dead…"

She trailed off, thinking of how her mother and father would react if they thought she was gone. Her father would never be the same, and her mother…

She didn't want to think about her mom. It was too painful.

"Then they'd never want to come to the Ground," Wells finished quietly.

Parker nodded. "Yeah. It'd be too much for them. We were really close."

"Before you got yourself arrested, that is," Bellamy said nastily.

Parker shook her head in disbelief. He technically wasn't wrong. "I made a mistake. That mistake is the one thing I regretted in prison. It tore me away from them. I broke their hearts."

"Oh, boo hoo," Murphy mocked. "You were snorting crushed up morphine tablets in your pod. What, were your parents hard-core against medication or something?"

Parker looked over her shoulder in disgust at Murphy. "You don't know jack-squat about me, my crimes, or my family."

"If you hold yourself so high and mighty, you gotta give me a reason," Murphy challenged. "I know you were convicted of two crimes. 'Double trouble criminal?' I'm not as dumb as I look, Nathan."

Parker bit her lip, eyes not leaving the forest floor.

"C'mon," Murphy urged. "Say something!"

"Dude, seriously," Wells tried to stop him. "If she doesn't wanna tell you anything, then she's not going to."

"Stay out of this, Jaha," Murphy spit back.

Parker didn't glance back or thank Wells. She was almost afraid to. Murphy was a dangerous guy. To bait him? That could mean death. And Parker was not looking for death anytime soon.

"What, afraid to answer me? All that morphine kill your brain cells?" ridiculed Murphy. "Guess it killed your family, too. You said your parents' hearts broke. Were they sad that a perfect kid like you fell through the cracks? Or were you always a bitch?"

Parker stopped in her tracks. She couldn't let him deride her any longer.

She whirled around to face Murphy, a deep scowl on her face.

Bellamy halted in his tracks to watch the showdown. Wells stood a safe several steps away, ready to intervene if necessary.

Parker finally spoke, her voice dangerously low. "The only reason I had those morphine tablets in my pockets were for my mother."

"So your mother snorted them? Classy," joked Murphy.

"She was dying," Parker snapped rapid fire. "I traded extra rations for morphine tablets because my mom had an unidentifiable disease that was killing her from the inside out. The only thing that cured her of her chronic pain and bleeding was morphine. Sure, she was a little out of it most of the time, but I was the one who took care of her. And then, during guard training, I was stupid enough to assault the guard who had made fun of me during a fighting session and I got myself locked up in the Skybox! Happy now? Does that make you feel better to know that I am responsible for letting my mother die up in space without me to care for her? Huh? Does it?!"

Murphy almost looked somewhat ashamed of himself, but he didn't speak.

Wells sighed. He hadn't known the truth, but he had suspected something else was going on with Parker even when they were back on the Ark.

Bellamy, on the other hand, was shocked. He remembered Parker. He had arrested her. He was the one who had pulled her away and helped handcuff her. His eyes were somewhat wide as she whipped around and waved her hand forward.

"We have to keep moving," she told him firmly.

He merely nodded, then turned and kept walking.

"So you're not a very good fighter then," concluded Murphy smugly.

"I never finished learning how to fight, so not really," scoffed Parker.

 _Why does it matter to him?_ she thought. _This was back on the Ark, not on the Ground._

Then, out of the blue, Murphy pulled Parker to him from behind by her pack and held a makeshift knife to her throat.

Parker's breath caught in her chest as she felt the cold metal against her neck. She clawed at the wrist of the hand which held the blade. His other hand yanked her long hair back so that he could get more length across her throat. She smelled Murphy's foul breath as he threatened her.

"Take off the wristband or you die," he snarled.

Parker's heart beat wildly out of control in her chest. She could barely breathe. Her hands shook violently and her knees weakened. If her legs gave out, she would drop, and Murphy's knife would cut into her jugular. She had never been so terrified in her entire life.

Wells held his hands up, eyes huge.

Bellamy whipped out his gun, aiming it at Murphy's face. His brow hardened and his stance was heavy.

To Parker, time almost stopped completely, and every action and word happened in slow motion.

"Let her go or I shoot," Bellamy warned. "Murphy, I don't want to do this! Let her go!"

"Princess said that the only way the Ark will think they'll think she's dead is if both of them are actually dead, so why not just kill them now and get it over with?" Murphy responded, aggression fervent in his words.

Parker could barely speak. She stuttered out one sentence. She locked eyes with Bellamy.

"S-s-shoot," she gasped.

Murphy, upon hearing this, dug the knife into her neck a little, drawing blood. She cried out in pain as the hot blood trickled down her neck and soaked into her navy t-shirt.

"Hey, this is not the time and place, Murphy," Wells reasoned. "Just let her go and we'll negotiate about the wristband, okay?"

"If she wants me to stop, she's got to agree to take off the wristband," Murphy snarled back. "Take it or leave it, crackhead!"

Parker's mind stabled barely enough to make a decision. She waited a moment, then nodded rapidly.

Murphy threw her out of his grasp, and Parker stumbled. She bent over, hands on her knees, as Wells rushed over to check on her cut. He made her stand up straight.

But Parker's fear was turning toxic – like poison. She was infuriated. She was still horrified, but she was learning that she could turn fear into anger. This would definitely come back to haunt her.

Bellamy stayed frozen in place, the pistol lowered to his side.

"Murphy, we can't do that," he scolded.

"I just did," Murphy disputed. "We made a deal, Nathan. Wristband's coming off. Now."

Parker's rage consumed her. The anger that burned inside of her was the same as the day she had attacked the guard and gone to the Skybox. Her ears turned crimson and her nostrils flared.

Wells could sense something was off with her, and put a hand on her arm.

"Parker…" he said slowly.

Parker made no notice of him. She squared her shoulders and unbuckled her seatbelt pack from her back. She spun on her heel and marched straight towards Murphy, who stood picking his nails with his knife.

He smirked as she approached. "Let's get this over with, double trouble."

She came to a standstill directly in front of him and said nothing. Her eyes bore a hole in his smug face.

Murphy chuckled arrogantly, waving his knife around. "Still afraid?"

Parker's face did not change. It was as if she was a robot.

She quickly reached out and snatched Murphy's wrist, twisting it painfully. He let out a yell and lurched forward, bending at the waist as Parker held his arm out to the side. The knife tumbled out of his fingers and fell to the ground with a 'thunk!'

She kicked the blade out of the way and swiftly kneed him in the crotch, then slammed a fist into his eye. Murphy squeaked.

"Parker!" Wells exclaimed.

Murphy immediately retaliated by punching her stomach with his free hand. Parker dropped his wrist and doubled over, holding her belly. She knew that there was going to be a mark there.

Then, she grabbed his shoulders and attempted to throw him down on the ground. Instead, he used her weight against her and shoved her. She tripped over her own feet and landed right on her backside, her behind slamming onto the grass.

Before she could process the pain of a sprained tailbone, Murphy started kicking her while she was down. A kick to the mouth, one to the cheek, another to the chest, the arm, the thigh, the –

"MURPHY!" Bellamy bellowed.

Parker's breathing was labored. Murphy had knocked the wind out of her.

Her head ached, and so did her mouth, her chest, and her cheek. She had done it again – the one thing that she had promised herself she would never do. She had lost it. She had gone totally and completely berserk. This was unlike her. Sure, she had a few anger issues, but she usually could keep herself under control.

Her eyes had been squeezed shut during Murphy's brutal kick down. She knew, as soon as she hit the muddy ground, that she was done for. And the fact that she had just let herself down didn't make her angry, just disappointed.

She opened her eyes the second Murphy's kicking had ceased. Bellamy had heaved him away by the collar of his jacket.

But Parker was more focused on the fact that she couldn't breathe. She curled up into a ball on her side, trembling. Her chest heaved with the effort and her lungs ached for air. She gasped and sputtered, almost choking on the blood that had pooled in her mouth. She spat a gob of blood

Wells rushed over and patted her back, trying to get her breathing normally.

"Parker, Parker, you're okay," he encouraged. "You'll breathe normally in just a second."

It wasn't long after that she finally was back to normal, at least air-wise.

She stayed huddled in a ball, finally letting out everything she had felt while on the Ground in one sob. Tears streamed down her face, leaving tracks in the dirt that had gathered when she had been kicked down.

Wells just sat with her, blocking Bellamy and Murphy's view of her.

Bellamy still held Murphy by his clothes, making sure he didn't bolt back to beat the crap out of her even more.

"What the hell is going on here?"

Parker didn't need to glance over to see who had just arrived. It was Clarke and Finn.

"Holy crap," Finn exclaimed as he caught sight of Parker.

"What happened?" Clarke demanded as she hurried over to the other girl.

Parker looked up to see Clarke examining her carefully, her clothing sopping wet.

"Ask her," Murphy grumped. "She started it!"

Clarke's horrified gaze settled on Parker. "Is this true?"

Parker moaned in pain as she slowly sat up. She could feel her ribs throbbing.

"He held a knife to my throat," she said gruffly, wiping blood off her mouth. "He wanted my wristband."

"We had a deal! I let you off easy and you give up your wristband!" complained Murphy. "Bitch attacked me after I let her go!"

Parker didn't even try to defend herself. Everyone in the group went quiet.

"Murphy was being an ass about it," Bellamy finally chimed in. "Cut into her neck with his knife."

Everyone stared over at him in disbelief.

Parker was absolutely astonished. Was Bellamy Blake…defending her?

Finn put his hands on his hips. "Parker, you can't just go around picking fights with whoever you want. There're Grounders around here – Grounders who speared our friend and dragged him off to torture him. You're attracting attention to us."

Parker's eyes welled up. She hadn't meant to put them in danger. She had been stupid. She should have just given up her wristband.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. Her words were barely audible.

A concerned expression settled on Clarke's features. She reached out and prodded Parker's lower ribs on her left side. Parker shrieked as a sharp pain split through her chest.

Clarke lifted Parker's shirt up slightly. Wells, Finn, and Murphy averted their eyes, but Bellamy's eyes stayed trained on Parker.

"From what I can tell, you've got a couple of cracked ribs," she concluded, lowering Parker's t-shirt. Her eyes flitted over her other wounds. "The cut on your neck isn't deep. You don't need stitches. Any broken teeth?"

Parker shook her head.

Clarke nodded. "Okay. Then let's keep moving."

Wells immediately offered out a hand, which Parker accepted gratefully.

As soon as she was standing, her tailbone area erupted with pain. She winced and had to take several deep breaths before stepping forward towards the rest of the group.

Clarke turned towards her. "You're able to walk, which means your tailbone isn't broken, but it might be sprained."

Parker let out a deep sigh. "Great."

Finn tossed Parker her homemade pack with more force than necessary, and it hit her in the chest. The pack bounced off of her cracked ribs, causing her to yelp in pain. The pack landed on her feet.

She attempted to reach down and snatch it up, but Wells grabbed it instead, handing it to her gently.

"Thank you," she said.

"That fight wasted time," Clarke reprimanded. "Jasper could be dead by now because of you two." She sent both Murphy and Parker dark looks. "Wells, you stay with Parker. Bellamy, keep Murphy away from her. We'll deal with this when we get back to camp."

"More like keep her away from me," Murphy complained. "She's crazy! She wants to kill me! And she had the nerve to _cry_ afterwards? I'm surprised she wasn't in the Skybox for the _murder_ of that stupid guard."

Bellamy just shook his head and clapped Murphy on the shoulder, pushing him forwards. "Shut up, Murphy."

Clarke and Finn led the way while Bellamy and Murphy held the middle. Wells and Parker slogged along at the caboose of their group.

"You really had to start something with him?" he asked.

"I don't need your lectures, Wells," Parker replied dejectedly. "I know it was stupid. I let my own emotion take over. That last time that happened, I ended up in solitary for a year."

"Sorry," he apologized.

Parker raised her eyebrows. "It's okay. I'd do the same thing. I made a mistake."

"Yeah, I'm gonna say a big mistake."

"Uh…yeah."

"You've gotta lot of blood all over your cheek and your chin, by the way."

"I figured."

* * *

Soon, they reached a level, almost dry river bed filled with stones.

Parker and Murphy still eyed each other dangerously, but Wells and Bellamy made sure they walked nowhere near each other. Parker stayed near Wells on one side, while Murphy stayed with Bellamy on the other.

Parker was feeling exhausted at this point. Her scuffle with Murphy took a lot of energy out her. And the combination of not eating for the past 28 hours, as well as not getting much sleep, did not help her at all.

Her mouth and tailbone ached, while her cheekbone and ribs throbbed. She knew her hair was an absolute mess, and her t-shirt was bloodstained. She hadn't realized before, but her arms were littered with small scratches from being huddled on the ground while Murphy had kicked her guts out.

"Hey, how do we know this is the right way?"

 _Oh, speaking of the bastard,_ Parker thought. _What wonderful insight will Murphy provide for me now?_

"We don't," Bellamy deadpanned. "Spacewalker thinks he's a tracker."

Parker internally rolled her eyes at the older boy. After her scuffle with Murphy, she didn't want to draw much attention to herself. She didn't want to risk getting the crap beat out of her again.

"It's called 'cutting sign.' Fourth year earth skills. He's good," said Wells.

"You want to keep it down, or should I paint even more targets on our backs?" Finn snapped.

Parker bit her lip. She knew that he was referring to the fight. Awkward.

She moved forward and ended up between Bellamy and Wells. Finn inspected a broken branch, then bent over to get a closer look at something else on the stones.

Parker noticed Wells watching Clarke with a kind of sad longing.

"See? Invisible," Bellamy pointed out to Wells.

Parker gave Bellamy a side-glance. She still wasn't intimidated by him anymore, even if he did have a pistol.

"No comments from the peanut gallery?" he teased.

Parker swallowed thickly. She wouldn't give in to his mocking. That was just asking for more cracked ribs.

"Knock it off, Blake," Wells growled.

Suddenly, from the distance, came a low, distinct moan.

"What the hell was that?" Murphy wondered brusquely.

"Now would be a good time to take out that gun," Clarke commented.

Clarke and Finn scurried forwards through the underbrush. Bellamy took off after them, while Parker followed behind, making sure to keep some distance from Murphy, who she saw had taken out his knife again. The tip of the blade was red. She shivered. That was _her_ blood.

They only had to hurry for a couple minutes before they reached a small clearing.

Parker could barely glance at the sight that lay before her.

Hung up in a tree by his arms, shirt off, covered in dry blood and dirt…was Jasper. Something green covered a part of his chest, what Parker assumed was the place where the spear entered body.

Parker's heartbeat sped up. This was nerve-wracking for sure, not just because her friend was tied up in a tree, but because the entire setup screamed it was a trap.

"Jasper," Clarke gasped. "Oh my god."

"Clarke, be careful," warned Finn.

"Jasper?"

Clarke strode closer, wanting to make sure Jasper was okay. Parker and the rest followed. But Parker stayed near the back of the group, making sure that she kept her eyes out for Grounders.

"What the hell is this?" questioned Bellamy.

SNAP!

Clarke's ground gave way beneath her. Thankfully, Bellamy was there to catch her arm in his grasp, leaving her dangling above sharp sticks whittled to deadly.

Parker went over as quickly as she could to help pull Clarke up onto solid ground.

"Clarke! Get her up! Pull her up! Pull her up!" Finn freaked out, rushing over at the same time as Parker. "Get her! Pull her up!"

Parker latched on to the underside of Bellamy's left arm and tugged. Together, they lifted the blonde to safety.

Parker took a deep breath.

"You ok?" wondered Wells.

"Yeah," Clarke panted, staring down at what was her impending doom. But she was immediately back to business. "We need to get him down."

Parker glanced over to the group, then to Jasper, who was barely conscious.

"I'll climb up there and cut the vines," Finn offered.

Wells nodded. "Yeah, yeah, I'm with you."

"No," Finn denied, "stay with Clarke. And watch him." He nodded at Bellamy. Then his gaze landed on Murphy. "You. Let's go."

Parker was instantly more comfortable in the environment once Murphy shuffled off to assist Finn. She took a wary look at Bellamy, who merely stared coldly back.

"There's a poultice on his wound," Clarke observed.

"Medicine? Why would they save his life just to string him up as live bait?" Wells inquired.

Bellamy took a breath. "Maybe what they're trying to catch likes its dinner to be breathing."

"Maybe what they're trying to catch is us," Finn pointed out.

There was a beat.

"Well, that's comforting," Murphy joked.

"Just get up there," Finn replied shortly.

"I'm going, _mom."_

"Shut up, Murphy."

As the two scaled the trunk and branches, Parker kept a close watch on their surroundings. There were so signs of Grounders, at least from what she could tell. The trees were empty of archers or spear-throwers, and there weren't any scouts below. She was suspicious. She didn't like that it was so easy to find Jasper. She knew Finn was right – this was a trap for people, not an animal.

It took Finn and Murphy a couple of minutes to get a good foothold in the branches before they started to cut Jasper's restraints. Down below, the group had spread out into three different stations. Clarke and Wells were there beside the tree to catch Jasper when Finn and Murphy lowered him down. Bellamy was the weapon – he was to shoot if any threat approached. And Parker was lookout – she had to warn Bellamy if she saw anything out of the ordinary came close.

"Hurry up, Murphy," Finn urged.

Clarke paced around like a crazy person. "Be careful."

Parker impatiently fiddled with the buckle on her homemade pack. She hated waiting around for something to jump out of the bushes and kill her. It made her uneasy beyond all get-out. And it didn't help that she didn't trust Bellamy's aim with the pistol. She knew she could handle it with greater ease.

Then, a low growl was heard close by, coming from the direction the entire group had come through the trees.

"What the hell was that?" Murphy speculated.

"Grounders?" Bellamy suggested skeptically.

Parker felt vulnerable without any tool to defend herself. She listened as the growl grew closer. She spotted the source of the growl as it stalked into view. It was a black panther. She recognized it from earth skills class as a small child. Its eyes glowed yellow.

The panther must have spotted them, too, because it snarled once more, then bounded forwards towards –

"Bellamy, gun!" shouted Clarke.

Bellamy reached back to pull it out of his waistband, but all he grabbed was air.

Parker watched in horror as Wells brandished the firearm and began to shoot.

She rushed towards him as he shot the beast three times, all in the wrong places. Parker knew those shots wouldn't kill the panther, it would only slow it down.

The panther stumbled from the last bullet, still with Bellamy as its target.

Parker knew what she had to do.

She sprinted forwards, grabbed the pistol, and rushed over to Bellamy. She pushed him behind her as she followed the rustling in the scrub with the barrel of the gun.

It was quiet for a few seconds. Parker didn't like it one bit.

She turned to the side where she guessed it would pounce from. But Bellamy turned the other way, and they stood back to back, both panting in anticipation of the panther's reveal.

Parker's stance with the gun tightened as the panther suddenly leapt from the bushes on her side. Without blinking an eye, she got a clear shot through the panther's eye. It was dead before it hit the dirt.

The entry wound was clean and precise, proof of an excellent shooter.

Parker lowered the gun, relaxing her stance and clearing her mind of all the intense static that had built up while standing there waiting for the panther to attack.

She stared at the carcass, wondering if they could take it back to eat.

She was about to suggest it to the others when she noticed that all of them were staring blankly at her, as if amazed.

"Good shot," Bellamy finally commented.

Parker shrugged and handed him back the gun. "You've still got one bullet left."

Bellamy took it back hesitantly, then stuffed it back in the waistband of his trousers.

"Where did you learn to shoot like that?" asked Clarke in wonder.

"My dad's in the guard," Parker explained, still panting slightly from the adrenaline. "I'd wanted to be a guard, just like him, ever since I was a little kid. I started off on an ancient kid's air rifle in my living room when I was seven. I'm a little rusty after spending two years in the Skybox."

They all blinked.

"Rusty?" Finn laughed darkly. "Parker, you just shot a freaking tiger in the eye and ruptured its brain with one bullet. That's not rust. That's natural talent."

Parker sighed, not caring much for the attention. "Thanks. Just get Jasper down so we can get out of here."

Finn and Murphy cut Jasper free in silence.

Parker noticed Bellamy sending her dazed looks every few minutes, as if he was amazed she would ever even try to save his life.

As much as Parker hated him, she wasn't sorry she had helped him. She knew it was the right thing to do. And she didn't do it for him – she did it for Octavia. The younger girl would have been pretty upset if Parker had come back with Bellamy's body wrapped in the parachute from Well's bag.

As soon as Jasper was down and leaning, sat, against the tree, the rescue party regrouped.

"What should we do about the panther?" asked Wells.

"We should take it back," Parker proposed. "I don't think I've ever read about people eating panther, but we could use it as food for now. It wouldn't last us long with 92 other people to feed, but it could hold us over until we figured out where to find food closer to camp."

"It's better than eating nothing," Finn agreed.

Bellamy nodded. "Let's do it."

"Wait, how are we going to lug this giant cat back to the dropship?" Murphy argued.

Clarke was on it. "Wells has a parachute in his pack. Wrap it up in the parachute and drag it with us. It'll keep it clean and stop other predators from coming after the body."

"Sounds like a plan," Wells nodded.

He unclipped his pack and pulled out the cloth.

As soon as Murphy and Bellamy had the dead panther in the parachute, Wells and Finn lifted Jasper. They tried to make him as comfortable as possible, but with a wound like that, they knew he was going to be a lot of pain.

Parker and Clarke walked out in front of the boys, Parker hanging on to the pistol for safety.

"So you wanted to be a guard?" the blonde asked.

"Yep," said Parker. "I was pretty determined."

"So why'd you attack that guard if you wanted to be just like him?"

Parker sighed, then waited a few moments before answering. "He was a rookie, too, but he had just been recently promoted to full-on guard status. He had volunteered to help with training the recruits. I was one of them. I was still shorter than most of the other recruits back then, and I was a girl, which put me into a spotlight during training. I wasn't as strong as the guys, and he started to make fun of me. He said that my only place on the Ark was as a seamstress or a mother. He didn't believe in letting girls join the guard. I was more immature back then – I was sixteen. He just made me so…so angry. His taunting got so bad during one fight training session, I just…I snapped. And the next thing I knew, I had broken his collarbone and a few of his ribs, and the guard had arrested me for assault. He had broken my arm, but your mom cared enough to help me. That's when Kane came into question me and found out I had been trading extra food rations for morphine tablets. I didn't tell them they were for my dying mom. I couldn't. And even if I did tell him, that would have meant my mom would have been floated. I would have ended up in solitary for two years instead of one, and I never would have met Octavia. I guess, to make a long story short, I never really did want to be like that guard. He was cruel. If my dad had been there, his neck would have been snapped faster than you could say 'float him.' I regret attacking him, but at the same time, I don't. I never wanted to be like him, and I still don't."

Little did Parker know, Bellamy listened to her story intently. His mind ticked and whirred like a well-tuned clock. He was intrigued by this girl, but he had no idea why.

* * *

The rest of the trip back to camp was made in almost complete silence. Clarke or Finn would comment on something once in a while, and, a few times, Parker explained the science behind some particular part of Earth.

Her anger had diminished since killing the panther. Something about helping out the group for the better snuffed the flame that had turned into a blaze. Bellamy had only added to the kindle, and Murphy was another spark in and of himself.

Parker now knew she would have to watch herself out there. The Grounders were close by, probably keeping tabs on the hundred and their ways. Blowing up would make the delinquents more a target. They had just rescued Jasper. They didn't need to do that kind of mission again.

She felt a strange sense of home as the group approached the dropship camp.

"They're back!" a lookout announced.

Parker, covered in cuts, blood, and dirt, smiled. They would eat soon. Jasper was safe for now. And so was she.

As she and Clarke got closer to the dropship ramp, Octavia ran up to them. She bounded for Parker in a crushing hug. Parker winced.

"I'm so glad you're back," the younger girl whispered, squeezing her best friend tightly.

Parker yelped and pushed her off.

"Sorry," she panted, putting hand to her side. "Cracked ribs."

Octavia's eyes widened as she saw Parker's state. "What the hell…?"

Parker shook her head. "Don't worry about it."

Octavia frowned. "Uh, I'm going to worry about you. Seriously, what happened?"

Parker shook her head again. "If you really want to know, we'll talk later."

"Yeah, we're going to," Octavia insisted.

Clarke waved over Finn and Wells, who carried Jasper.

"Oh my gosh," Octavia squeaked.

Monty jogged over from the bonfire. "Is he – "

"He's alive," Clarke told him. She turned to Octavia. "I need boiled water and strips of cloth for bandage." As she held the plastic flaps open for Finn, Wells, and Jasper, she looked at Parker. "I'm going to need your help inside, then I'll clean those cuts on your face."

Parker's eyebrows raised. "You need _my_ help?"

"Finn and Wells won't want to," Clarke countered.

Behind Parker, the crowd parted to reveal Murphy and Bellamy. They threw the corpse on the ground, then pushed back the parachute to reveal the dead panther.

"Who's hungry?" he shouted at the crowd.

Everyone shouted and cheered on Bellamy, thanking and congratulating him for killing dinner. He caught Parker's eye and smiled smugly. He knew he was going to get all the credit, and he liked that.

Parker just scowled and shook her head at him. An idea popped into her head. She took out the gun that Bellamy had given back to her and held it so that the barrel was facing down. She waved it tauntingly at him, then shoved it into a cargo pocket on the thigh of her black trousers. Bellamy's face fell, a contrast to all those around him who were elated at the thought of food.

Parker smirked and stormed into the dropship to help Clarke with Jasper.

* * *

Later that evening, Parker sat on the end of the dropship ramp, her face finally clear of blood and dirt. She chewed a piece of panther meat with great satisfaction.

She had seen her reflection in some of shinier metal inside the ship earlier. Her cheekbone was still slightly swollen around the large cut she had gotten from being on the receiving end of Murphy's fist. The inside of her mouth was sore from being kicked. She had a cut that extended diagonally from the middle of her bottom lip to the top side of her chin. There were purple bruises on each side of her face and well as her stomach, around her two cracked ribs, both her arms, and a few on her shins.

Physically, she was a wreck. Mentally, her mind had never been clearer. She had hydrated and eaten the panther that she had shot down.

She had followed after Finn to grab meat, but Bellamy's hand gripped her arm tightly, putting pressure on a bruise just below her wristband. His eyes had hardened at seeing her.

"The only reason I haven't tackled you to the ground and ripped off that wristband is because you've got that gun. This is the one time you'll get free food," he had retorted emotionlessly.

Parker had easily met his gaze, eyes filled with a steady fire. She wasn't afraid of him. "I killed the panther. I'm getting as much of it as I want, wristband on and functional."

Then, she relaxed the arm in his grasp and yanked, freeing her arm. She snatched up a piece of roasted panther and stalked off back to the dropship ramp.

When she was finished with her food, she took the sharpened metal stick and stared down at her very, very long hair. She remembered Murphy being able to use it against her. He had pulled it so hard, her scalp had ached for an hour afterwards. After all, it was down to her waist.

She needed a change. This was Earth, not the Ark.

She raised the blunt blade to the hair at her shoulders and sliced through. Soon, her hair only touched the top of her shoulders. Her head felt freer, healthier. There was still a slight fading of brunette to blonde at the ends, but she liked it. It suited her more.

Parker had been doing a lot of thinking. Murphy had been able to take her down so easily. With one kick, he had completely disabled her. She had gone down with one blow. One. Now that she knew of the Grounders and the damage they could do, she wanted to be prepared.

But who could teach her to fight? Who knew it all? And an even bigger question: who would be willing to teach her? She got frustrated with herself pretty easily, but she was able to take criticism.

Then, it hit her like a ton of bricks. Bellamy Blake.

 _No, no way,_ she thought directly after the name had popped into her head. _He hates my guts and I hate his. There's no way he'd even agree to help me._

So she came up with a compromise instead.

She didn't want people to get the wrong idea about what she wanted, so she waited until most of the hundred had gone to bed.

Clarke offered her a place to sleep in the dropship, and Parker had accepted. But Parker hadn't wanted to sleep yet. She wanted to make Bellamy the offer while it was still fresh in his mind. He sat by the fire on a log, staring into the flames with a tough expression on his face.

There only a few people left wandering around camp awake when Parker stood. She got up with difficulty, her cracked ribs twinging painfully. She grunted several times as she straightened. She squared her shoulders and walked right up Bellamy.

"We need to talk," she told him.

Bellamy groaned at the sight of her and rubbed his eyes with his hands. "What do you want, Nathan?"

Parker had to stop herself from looking taken aback. He had never called her by a proper name of any sort. Why start then?

"I want you to teach me how to fight."

Bellamy instantly was on his feet, questioning her. "What?"

"I want you to teach me how to fight," she repeated.

Bellamy's eyes squinted. "Don't you already know how to fight? You went through guard training."

"Not entirely," she rolled her eyes. "I attacked that rookie halfway through."

Bellamy sighed and looked around, exasperated. He brushed past her. "And why the hell should I help you?"

Parker followed after him as he walked towards the opposite side of the camp. "Because I can teach you how to shoot."

"I already know how to shoot," he called over his shoulder.

Parker huffed. "Are you as good as me?"

Bellamy stopped in his tracks. Parker smirked as he spun on his heel to face her. He walked forwards and came to a halt in front of her.

"So you're offering me a deal?"

"You teach me how to fight and I teach you how to shoot."

"Why should I agree?"

"Listen," said Parker honestly, "this isn't the Ark. We are in constant danger because of the Grounders. I want to make sure I'm ready if I don't have an automatic on me if they attack."

"We've got one bullet left," Bellamy countered. "What's the point of learning to shoot if we haven't got ammo?"

Parker panicked internally. He was right. But then, she remembered something.

"I can make bullets," she said calmly. "Get me the supplies and I'll make more ammo for the pistol."

"You weren't in engineering station," Bellamy told her firmly. "You're from Tesla station. Your dad was a guard. I don't know what the hell your mom did, only that she's currently dying. Why would you know how to make bullets?"

"I used to read that kind of stuff for fun when I was a kid," she replied truthfully. "I know the recipe and tools I need."

Bellamy scratched the back of his neck, not wanting to make eye contact. He looked like he was carefully considering her deal.

He finally caved. "Fine. Get me a list of ingredients you need and I'll send scouts out to find them. We start training tomorrow."

Parker nodded.

She had just made a deal with Bellamy Blake.

* * *

 **Wow, that is the longest chapter yet, so I hope you liked it!**

 **Here are my review replies from the last chapter:**

12: I will definitely be making sure Parker goes through some character development. Throughout the seasons, you really see all the characters change, whether that be for better or for worse. You will definitely see that as the storyline continues! Parker is going to mature a little more and she's going to change. Thank you for always reviewing! :)

MyOwnPersonalHeaven: Thank you so much! I wish she was, too. Thanks for reviewing! :)

Jacob Denness: Thank you! I'm glad you're liking Parker. She and Bellamy will definitely come to an understanding at some point, so don't you worry! :) That's interesting to hear about your theories of how Parker will react to Lincoln and Octavia. You might just be on the right track! Thank you for reviewing! :)

 **And thank you so much to those who have favorited and followed! I appreciate each and every one of you. And if you haven't reviewed, favorited, or followed, I encourage you to do so! :) It keeps me motivated to write.**

 **Thank you all so much for staying with Parker and her story! You guys are awesome. :)**


	5. Training

Chapter 5: Training

* * *

"Hey. Nathan."

Parker groaned and turned over in her sleep. Suddenly, her ribs erupted into fire, and she gasped, her eyes flying open. A hand flew to her chest, clutching at the t-shirt fabric in hopes that somehow, clawing at the cloth would cure her pain.

She looked up as the sharp needles in her ribs decreased to see Bellamy standing over her, looking almost concerned. That changed when Jasper moaned from the second floor.

The older boy squared his shoulders and scowled, then glanced back down to Parker.

"Come on," he urged. "Training starts now."

He stalked out of the dropship, not caring who he woke in the process. Then again, there weren't many others sleeping there, as Jasper had scared some off during the night. Thankfully, Parker was a deep sleeper and wasn't too disturbed.

She sat up carefully, wincing as small shooting pains bombarded her ribs. She wiped the thin sheen of cold sweat off of her forehead and stood. Getting to her feet was much easier than sitting up.

She blinked sleep out of her eyes, then stared out of the curtains of the dropship. It was still dark. She sighed and snatched her jacket off the floor. She sighed again when she saw the small droplets of saliva on it. She had been using it as a pillow and, to her dismay, had drooled a bit.

Then, she picked up the gun that had been by her side while she slept and she stuffed it into the waistband at the back of her black trousers.

"Come on, slowpoke!" called Bellamy from outside.

Parker ran a hand through her shorter hair and trudged outside. She stopped at the top of the ramp, eyebrows raised. Flittering across the still dark, starry sky, was a luminescent, blue bird. No, wait – a butterfly. She couldn't help but smile at it.

 _The radiation must have mutated the butterfly DNA,_ Parker thought. _At least it doesn't have a second head. Well, then again, even if it did, I wouldn't be able to tell from here. At least it's pretty to look at._

"Are you seriously staring at that butterfly?"

Parker had forgotten why she was awake in the first place. Her gaze fluttered down to a surly Bellamy Blake, who stood at the bottom of the ramp with his arms crossed. His expression was one of exasperation. He was annoyed.

Parker shrugged and walked down the ramp to stand across from Bellamy. She crossed her arms, too, almost mockingly. A twinge of pain shot through her ribs, but she ignored it.

"It's not every day you see a glowing butterfly," Parker noted. "The biology textbooks mentioned something about possible side effects of radiation, but nothing to this extent. It's an interesting sight. You can't expect me not to stop and stare."

Bellamy just studied her with a judgmental gleam in his eye, but he brushed it off and uncrossed his arms. He adjusted the axe in his belt.

Parker was slightly taken aback. "Where did you get that axe from?"

"You're not the only inventor around here," Bellamy replied cryptically.

"And you stayed up all night making that?" asked Parker skeptically.

"Jasper was screaming and I'm a light sleeper. You, on the other hand, are like a rock. Took me five times to wake you," he replied.

"Speaking of which, the only reason I am awake at this ungodly hour is because we're training. Where are we doing that, by the way?"

Bellamy nodded his head towards the outside of camp. "This way."

Parker followed him out of camp and into a thicker part of the forest. He navigated the terrain with no problem, but Parker struggled. She ached all over from her fight with Murphy. Her shins throbbed with each step and the dull pain in her ribs was constant. The cuts on her cheekbone and chin were both sore and hurt whenever she moved her face in any way. She tried to hide her pain, but it was evident to Bellamy that she still hadn't fully recovered, and wouldn't for several weeks.

He came to a startling halt, causing Parker, who was trying to follow as closely behind as possible, to stumble and almost fall backwards. He whirled around to face her.

"You're not healed enough," he stated simply.

Parker gave him an obvious look. "Well…yeah, I just got the crap beat out of me yesterday."

"I don't think you can deal with the physical strain that training is going to put you through if your ribs are still cracked."

Parker's mouth open and closed like a fish. She didn't have an argument for his logic. What else was she supposed to say? _You're right? I'm weak and am not physically up to the challenge? Here, let me go back and sleep until you're actually able to train me?_

Bellamy sighed. "That's what I thought. We'll have to postpone this training."

He went around her and started back to the campsite.

Parker stood there, not knowing what to do or say.

Whether or not she was willing to admit it, she needed Bellamy to help her. After Murphy's brutal takedown yesterday, she knew that she wasn't equipped to handle defending herself against the Grounders. They would be back. That was a given. The more prepared she was, the better. There was just one bullet left, one bullet that would have to be used for something significant.

The wheels in Parker's head spun wildly. An idea popped into her head. She spun around to call after Bellamy.

"Wait!"

Bellamy's face was barely visible in the shadows of the trees when he turned. His hands rested on his hips.

"What?" he demanded.

"You can't just walk out of a deal," she protested.

"I'm not."

"Then what are you doing?"

"Going back to camp. You're clearly not healthy enough to train."

"How do you know? Do you know my pain tolerance? Are you in my head?"

 _You're trying to psych me out, but other than that,_ Parker thought.

Bellamy sighed, glanced back at camp, and threw out his arms.

"Fine," he grumped. "But you're taking it easy for now."

Parker rolled her eyes as he continued to lead the way.

They stopped just a minute later at a small clearing in the middle of nowhere. The sky had lightened just a little; the dark blue fading into more of a purple. The stars were ever so faint and the moon had begun to grow dim. Sunrise was approaching.

The trees seemed to be greener in the clearing. At first, Parker thought it was due to it not being so dark anymore, but then she realized that it was just really green. There were more vines that hung off of the trees, more moss covering the stones scattered about on the ground. It was peaceful. It seemed free of Grounders and their traps for now.

 _And,_ Parker thought, _if they did attack, I've got my gun and Bellamy has his axe._

"Okay," said Bellamy, striding into the middle of the clearing, "let's start with the basics."

Parker readied herself for a living hell as she slung off her dark green jacket.

Bellamy did the same with his own outerwear.

"You know," he joked smugly as she walked up, "for someone who initially came up with the deal in the first place, you don't seem to happy to be here."

Parker frowned at the comment. He wasn't exactly wrong. She decided to be frank.

"We aren't exactly friends," she replied. "I mean, you did accuse me of purposely letting Octavia get hurt yesterday. And you accused me of telling her lies about you. And you also threatened me when I didn't take off my wristband. And I was pretty nasty to you when – "

"Alright, enough," demanded Bellamy.

Parker saw that he knew she was right. He scoffed out the truth.

"Fine. We're not friends. Not even close. I'm not exactly thrilled to be out here with you, either. But we both have skills the other wants to work on, and, in a situation like this, it's important to be ready for anything thrown our way. A deal's a deal."

Parker nodded, for once agreeing.

"Let's start with a rudimentary punch," he continued.

Parker's shoulders slumped. She already knew how, but she remembered when he had said that they would start at the beginning. So she nodded.

"The theory behind a real, honest-to-goodness punch is throwing your whole body weight into motion with your fist," said Bellamy. "Like this."

He punched the air beside Parker's arm.

Something sparked Parker's memory.

"Wasn't there a sport that was just punching?" she wondered, mind wandering. "I read it in a history book at school. I think it was called boxing or something."

Bellamy stared at her blankly. "I don't know."

Parker realized that she was getting lost in the nostalgia of being in school and reading textbooks, not focused on the training.

"Just get on with it," she said sheepishly, trying to hide her embarrassment.

Bellamy shook his head at her for a moment, then continued on with his speech about a real punch.

Soon enough, Parker was using Bellamy's hands as targets. The sky was turning a beautiful streaked pink and purple with orange creeping in with every passing second.

"Left," Bellamy barked. "Right. Cross-right. Again. Cross-left."

Parker was growing weary and her ribs were killing her.

With one final right punch, her ribs erupted in pain. She doubled over in an attempt to make the pain decrease.

She put a hand up to signal that she had to take a break.

"Just let me…s-sit down. Just…just for – for a minute," she panted through the searing agony.

She was surprised when Bellamy took her arm and helped her over to a mossy tree stump and, gently, lowered her down.

Dark spots had begun to dance around her vision by the time she was sitting on the stump. She held up a thumb to indicate thanks, then hunched over until the shooting pains ceased.

She slowly sat up straight to see Bellamy standing just a few steps in front of her, arms crossed.

"I think we should stop for today," he told her firmly.

Parker nodded. "Yeah."

At this point, Parker was alright with Bellamy. Sure, he was a giant pain in the ass sometimes and wasn't willing to listen to others' points of view, but he wasn't a complete idiot. He cared for Octavia, just as she did. He was worried about his sister's well-being, which was admirable. He wanted to keep her out of harm's way. She still didn't agree with his politics on the Ground, nor his sleeping arrangements (Wells had mentioned how Bellamy had invited a girl or two into his tent already while they were tending to Jasper), but he wasn't a monster.

Parker wanted to bury the hatchet with the older boy. She wanted something to change. They couldn't keep up the whole constant bickering and yelling thing. It would put them, as well as everyone in camp, in danger. The Grounders were bound to hear them sometime.

Bellamy sat down on a stump a few feet away from Parker. He gazed up at the colorful sky, seemingly intrigued.

Parker took the moment as an opportunity.

"I…" she started, then cleared her throat. She was a little nervous. "…I just wanted to thank you. For yesterday."

Bellamy's head snapped back to her, a somewhat puzzled expression on his face. He didn't respond. He leaned his elbows onto his knees and clasped his hands thoughtfully, listening.

"Murphy could have done me some serious damage. So, um, so thank you for pulling him off me."

Bellamy was still puzzled. "You're thanking me?"

"Uh…yeah," Parker replied, an obvious tone lacing her words.

"Even after everything we've said to each other, you're thanking me?"

"Well, I'm not condemning you, so that's a start."

"You saved my life yesterday. What I did was nothing in comparison."

"So? I didn't do it for you."

Bellamy looked even more taken aback by Parker's words. "You did it for Octavia."

Parker nodded. "Like we've been saying – we're best friends."

Bellamy licked his lips and shook his head, staring away from Parker at the dirt and grass.

Now it was Parker's turn to be confused. Why was he so surprised?

"No," he denied, "you purposely got her injured at the river. You told her to jump."

Parker groaned and slapped a hand to her forehead. "I'm not going through this with you, Bellamy, not again. Both Octavia and I told you what happened, and Finn, Clarke, Monty, and Jasper can vouch for both of us."

Bellamy ran a hand over his mouth and rested one elbow on his knee, then a hand on his thigh, turning to face Parker with the most curious expression on his face.

"Why the hell would you ever want to thank me?" he asked darkly.

Parker saw how genuinely jumbled he really was. She narrowed her eyes at him in confusion.

"I'm not going to thank Wells," she retorted fiercely. "He just stood by and watched as Murphy pounded his foot into my body over and over again. I've got bruises on my stomach, my arms, my shins, a few on my face…he did nothing to help. But you, of all the people down here on the Ground, was the one to pull out the gun and threaten to shoot your right hand man. And he was, by the way, holding _me_ , the girl you've marked as an enemy from day one, with a knife to my throat. You tried to save me. Hell, you _did_ save me. I'm going to thank you whether you accept it or not. I am grateful."

She huffed once and ran a hand through her now-short hair.

She stared up at the now brightly-lit sky and lost all sense of frustration. It was breathtaking. There were so many colors – purples, blues, pinks, oranges, and even some yellows. The clouds soaked up the color and dotted the sky like puffy stars. It almost brought tears to Parker's eyes. Then she realized where she was and who she was with and she sniffed loudly. Her stare fell back to the reality that was the clearing.

Bellamy still looked at her, though. He was perplexed.

"How old are you?"

Parker's eyebrows immediately scrunched.

"Kind of a random question," she commented. "But I turned eighteen the day we made it to the Ground."

"You're older than Octavia by two years."

"I know that. She was fifteen when I met her."

"So you're really like her older sister?"

"That's what we've been saying."

"And she listens to you. So tell her to listen to me instead."

Parker was quickly on her feet. It strained her ribs, but not enough to really hurt her. "What?"

"Tell her to listen to me," Bellamy repeated desperately. "She's got to stay safe."

Parker shook her head, disappointed. "I really thought I was getting somewhere with you, but…ugh!" She cried out and threw her hands up helplessly. "You're not getting it, are you? Octavia's not some kid anymore. She might only be sixteen, but she's mature for her age. She always has been from what I can tell. You can't baby her, Bellamy! She's not hiding in the floor anymore. She's here, on the Ground – with us! And she's not to listen to me _or_ you."

The hopeful light in Bellamy's eyes flickered out. He stood, too. "She listens to Clarke! Maybe I should go talk to her, instead!"

"Clarke is going to tell you the exact same thing," Parker insisted. "You have to let Octavia grow up sometime. If you don't pull back now, you'll lose her!"

"Yeah, I'll lose her," Bellamy sniped. "I'll lose her to you! The girl who attacked a guard because she wanted to prove a point! That's really smart, Nathan, really smart! Especially for someone so caught up in what her life used to be – books, school, your dying mom!"

Parker recoiled at the mention of her mother. She pointed a finger at the boy. "How dare you drag my mom into this! I did all I could to help her!"

"And because of you, she's probably dead!"

Parker shook her head at Bellamy. Her teeth clenched. She gripped her fists so tightly, her knuckles turned white.

Bellamy sighed and hung his head, then rubbed the back of his neck in frustration.

"Okay, that was out of line," he said quietly.

Parker's jaw trembled slightly as she dug her teeth together even more. Her eyes welled up as she answered him, her voice strained.

"Completely."

"If you want to go back on the deal, then you can," Bellamy replied.

Parker's determination to learn stuck with her, making herself furious. She knew she was a dedicated student, no matter what kind of schooling she was in. This deal with Bellamy was no exception to her. She was stubborn.

"No," she answered.

Bellamy looked up at her in shock. "No?"

"I'll be back here again tomorrow – same time, same place," Parker told him firmly. "Don't let anybody else know."

Bellamy merely stared as she stormed off in the direction of the dropship.

Parker was angry, yes, but she was proud of herself. She was able to control the rage.

Bellamy had absolutely crossed a line. This was Parker's second time trying to make amends with the older boy and he had botched it – again. She had tried to get on his side, to make him understand. She had shown him evidence for her arguments time and time again, but still, he would deny everything. He couldn't comprehend the fact that Octavia wasn't mentally a child anymore. And he would have to if he wanted the respect Octavia held for him to last any longer.

But Parker had no respect for him, either. He pushed her around, argued with her, saved her life, and then argued some more. She actually believed he wasn't all bad. And maybe he wasn't, especially because he was helping her, but he got something out of it – better shooting skills. She knew that the only people he thought of was himself and Octavia. And that's how it was always going to be for him.

* * *

The sky was a beautiful, vibrant blue by the time Parker reached the dropship. She had heard Jasper's moans from just outside the camp. They grew steadily worse the closer she got to the ship.

Movement inside the camp was sparse. Many teens started sleeping through the morning and got up around midday. Those that were awake bumbled around, taking chunks of panther off the carcass from the night before to roast them over the dying embers of the fire. Many seemed frustrated with the sounds emanating from the dropship's second floor.

Parker took long steps up the ramp, stretching out her legs. When she entered, nobody was left down below. She saw the corner where she had slept. The parachute she had used as a blanket was gone. Some kid must have stolen it.

"Augh!"

Parker glanced up at the closed hatch on the ceiling. Poor Jasper was stuck up there in pain.

She climbed the ladder, undid the trap door, and crawled up onto the second floor. Monty, Finn, Clarke, and Octavia stared back at her. Octavia looked relieved.

"Thank goodness," she breathed, treading over and helping an aching Parker to her feet. She then closed the hatch behind them both. "Where did you go?"

Parker seized up. Her pulse quickened. They couldn't know about her deal with Bellamy. The group wasn't exactly his biggest fan (she definitely wasn't, either) and for them to hear that she's taking lessons from somebody who wants people on the Ark to stay and die in space? They wouldn't be too pleased.

"I needed a walk," Parker gulped. She was a terrible liar. In fact, she had never lied to Octavia before, and she didn't want to start. But she had to.

Octavia narrowed her eyes at her older friend playfully. "Uh huh, okay then."

Parker's eyes widened in an attempt to convince her. "What? I did. And it was very refreshing."

Jasper starting moaning again, saving Parker from further investigation.

Parker hurried over to his side, Clarke and Finn already there. Clarke had a hand on the dying boy's forehead. Finn looked on intently. Monty was huddled in a corner, prying at a spare wristband with makeshift tools.

"How is he?" Parker wondered softly.

Clarke glanced up anxiously, then shared a worried look with Finn. She turned back to Parker. "Not well. His temperature is much too high."

"Would strips of cold cloth help at all?" Octavia asked.

Clarke nodded. "It would cool him down a little, but it wouldn't have any lasting effect on his condition. Hopefully, the fever will break soon. I'm going to keep him under surveillance for the next few days. If he doesn't get better soon, then we'll have to find some kind of medicine, and I have no idea where to find any."

Parker's ribs suddenly shot up in pain, just for a moment. It subsided quickly, but not quickly enough for the others not to notice.

"You really should be resting, Parker," Clarke told her. "You're not going to heal unless you keep still for a while."

"No offense, Clarke, but after being cooped up in a cell for two years, a little movement is the only thing that's keeping me from going insane right now," Parker replied, a hint of amusement in her voice.

Clarke nodded. "That's understandable. But seriously, take it easy, okay? I want to make sure you won't be permanently affected by this. How are you feeling overall?"

Parker shrugged. "Tailbone's not nearly as bad as it was. I think that will go away pretty fast. The cut on my chin is a little sore, but the one on my cheekbone is still kind of puffy."

Clarke examined Parker's bruises from across Jasper. "It'll be swollen at least until tomorrow. Murphy got you pretty good."

"Speaking of which," Finn cut in. "Why did you attack him in the first place?"

Parker didn't want to talk about the day before. She was sick of shouting at people, arguments, physical fights…and she certainly did not want to talk about it with Finn, who had not been kind after it all.

Monty had even stopped what he was doing to listen in.

Parker debated on whether to talk, but she finally did. "He wanted my wristband, so he put a knife to my throat and threatened to kill me if I didn't take it off. So I told him that I'd give it to him if he let me go. Instead, I knocked the knife out of his grasp and he punched me and it just kind of escalated from there."

Monty's eyebrows shot up while Clarke sighed. Finn seemed a little ashamed of himself, but intrigued. Octavia put a hand on Parker's shoulder.

"Weren't Wells and Bellamy with you?" she inquired. "Why didn't they stop it?"

"Wells tried reasoning with Murphy. Bellamy pulled his gun out on Murphy. Honestly, with all the chaos that had erupted, I'm glad he did. I don't know if I'd still be alive if he hadn't," explained Parker. "And when Murphy threw me down and kept kicking me over and over again, Bellamy was the one to get him off. Wells just stood there in shock. I don't think he knew what was going on."

Clarke's expression darkened. "Of course he just stood there. It's Wells. He's not exactly a knight in shining armor."

Parker knew there was animosity between the two, but this just confused her.

Finn steered the subject away from Wells as Jasper began to squirm. "What's he doing?"

"He's barely conscious," Clarke announced. "Just enough to feel the pain."

Jasper groaned, eyes fluttering like a madman. His hands were weak and pasty. He weakly scraped his hands down his chest. Clarke reached out and gently removed it, setting it back down at his side.

"You can't do that, Jasper," she told him. "You'll dislodge the poultice."

Parker watched on as Jasper continued to struggle. It was difficult to watch somebody be in so much pain. All she wanted to see happen was him miraculously stand and yell, "WE ARE APOGEE!" and have him be alright again. But that definitely wasn't happening anytime soon.

She yawned widely, hoping nobody noticed. They were all too focused on Jasper to see, except for one person.

"Are you okay, Parks?" Octavia wondered.

Parker nodded. "Yeah, I'm okay. I'm just a bit tired."

"If you need some sleep, I can show you where my tent is. I've got room for another person in there if you want."

"No, it's fine. I'll be fine, really," she replied. Suddenly, her vision went all funny and her eyes watered slightly. She could really feel the sleep deprivation kicking in.

"Okay, you're coming with me," Octavia decided, pulling Parker's arm as she stood.

Parker got to her feet without her ribs snapping in on her.

"You guys come get me if anything changes with him," she told Clarke and Finn firmly.

Clarke nodded. "Absolutely."

Parker glanced over to Monty, still poring over the wristbands. "You got this, Monty."

He put a hand in thanks, too fixated on his work to speak.

Parker followed Octavia down the ladder, getting some help from the younger girl at the end when pain spiked up in her ribs.

As the two exited the dropship, they were approached by Murphy and his goons. Parker's eyes immediately reverted to the ground. She had been trying to avoid him since their scuffle, but it was hard to in such a small camp. She would have thought it to be easier to do so, but Murphy was everywhere. He acted as if he was Bellamy's next-in-line for the throne of the 100. But all he was a scumbag with nothing but revenge written on his heart.

"Ready to take off that wristband, yet, double trouble? Or do I need to get my knife out again?" he ridiculed.

Thunder boomed overhead, threatening to release its rain down on them.

Parker stayed quiet. She didn't want to provoke him. And if she did speak, it would be very nasty. Nasty wasn't what she wanted.

"Leave her alone, Murphy."

Octavia stepped in front of Parker protectively. She was only a couple inches shorter than her friend at most, but Parker, in that moment, felt that she was a foot taller.

"Out of the way, Octavia," Murphy sneered, leaning down to bark at the girl. "I can't mess with you cause you're Bellamy's sister, but if you weren't – "

"You'd do to me what you did to Parker. Maybe even worse," Octavia cut him off boldly. "But you can't because Bellamy would skin you alive. And if you want to get to her, you got to go through me."

Murphy hesitantly backed away from the two, his hands raised in defeat. His crew followed.

"Fine," he snarled. "Just wait, crackhead. The little girl can't guard you forever."

"Watch me!" she called after them.

Parker was suddenly cold. The air around them seemed to freeze when Murphy was around. It scared her. _He_ scared her. After what he had done, Parker didn't put it past him to sneak into the tent and slit her throat whilst she was asleep. She didn't want that to happen. If she was going to die by Murphy's hand, she was going to go down kicking and screaming. But she wasn't well enough to do that. She wasn't well enough to do much at all, actually.

Octavia turned to Parker and put a hand on her arm.

"How are you doing?"

Parker shrugged. "Let's just get to the tent."

Octavia nodded and lead her best friend over to a tent not too far away from the dropship.

"I made sure to get one over here, away from Bellamy's," Octavia told her as they entered. "He's already trying to control my life here, and being on opposite sides helps the lessen that."

Parker raised her eyebrows. "I understand that completely."

The inside of Octavia's tent was fairly bare. The sunlight that streamed through the parachute was tinted orange and white. Two small, dingy mattresses rested on either side, identical in size. The one on the right had two holey blankets, one a dark red and the other a dark blue.

"Here," said Octavia, snagging the crimson blanket, "you can use this one."

"Are you sure? Won't you get cold?" Parker asked her. She wanted to make sure her friend was going to be warm at night, too.

"Parker, I'll be fine. Just take it. Please?" Octavia urged.

Parker smiled slightly and did as the younger girl asked. She took the pistol out of the waistband of her trousers and held it out to Octavia.

"If Murphy comes into the tent and tries to do anything to you, shoot him," she said grimly.

Octavia sighed and pushed the weapon away. "He won't try anything if I'm here, Parks. Keep your gun with you. If I tried to shoot anything, even Murphy standing in the doorway, I'd miss."

Parker nodded. "Alright."

She sat down on the spare mattress and unlaced her dark, dark scarlet combat boots. It was a relief to get the shoes off. Parker already felt more comfortable.

Then, she took off her jacket, folded it nicely, and stuck it at the head of the bed to use as a pillow. Then, she placed the gun next to her head on the empty space next to her pillow. She flung out the blanket and saw that it was about as long as she was. She was satisfied. At least her feet would be covered.

She tried laying down with the blanket already on her, but it kept slipping down off her legs. Her ribs twinged whenever she leaned back, and snapping back up into a sitting position was even worse.

Octavia quickly put a hand on Parker's back and lowered her onto the mattress. Parker sighed at the soft material. It wasn't perfect, but it was better than the dropship floor.

Once Parker was on her back, Octavia gently laid the blanket down over her friend and smoothed hair out of her face. Parker was so grateful for her friend, that it almost brought tears to her eyes. How could someone with such a jerk of a brother be so loyal and kind?

"Thank you, O," Parker sniffed. "I'm glad you're here."

"Hey, that's what friends are for, Parks. Get some sleep," she grinned down at her.

Parker closed her eyes and world went black. Sleep overtook her and, for once, everything was peaceful.

* * *

 **This is a bit shorter chapter than normal, but the training scene went on for long enough that I was like, "okay, there isn't enough room for part of the next episode." So instead, I wrote a filler chapter. I wanted to kind of show more of Parker's personality. I think she's kind of struggling to find out who she really is on the Ground. I think she likes to give people second chances if they deserve it (I don't think she believes Murphy does). But I hope you're liking getting to know her!**

 **I got some really lovely reviews this last chapter. Thank you all so much! I'll respond to them right now:**

Naturegirl15: Thanks so much! Glad you're enjoying it. :)

MyOwnPersonHeaven: Yeah, I'm kind of glad I wrote that. I've never been a huge fan of Murphy's character, but he's kind of that antagonist you hate to love, you know? I'm glad you're liking Parker! There's a lot more character development and backstory coming your way. Thank you for reviewing! :)

12: Thank you for always reviewing! I really appreciate your feedback! I'm glad you think I'm staying true to Clarke and Murphy's characters. I am definitely not going to leave out the interesting Clarke and Bellamy relationship! Don't you worry about that. :) Because of Parker, it may be a little different. With another character involved, especially with what Parker and Bellamy are going to be, I believe dynamics change. However, he and Clarke will still get along eventually and fight together, just as before. He and Parker are destined to have a different kind of relationship, which is what I set up in this chapter. Bellamy and Clarke kind of establish a common ground after episode four, and Parker tried to do the same this chapter. Bellamy is really fighting against his better judgement about her because he sees that she really does care for Octavia. But, because he's so protective of Octavia, he's almost jealous that she and Parker have such a good relationship – that's why he kind of freaks about getting Octavia to listen this chapter. Again, I really have to thank you for always reviewing! It really means a lot! I hope I responded well! :)

OneHeart OneDirection: Thank you for reviewing! I'm so happy you're liking the story. :) As for Parker's name, I honestly just did some research for a somewhat common, yet unique name for a girl that sounded like it could fit into the world of the 100. I recently did some research on the name and I found it is an old Medieval surname that means 'gatekeeper.' I kind of chuckled when I saw it, because, somehow, I feel like that description fits her well. I'm not sure why, but maybe I'll find out as I write more! Thank you for asking such an interesting question! :)

Jacob Denness: I'm glad you liked the chapter! It was an interesting one to write. I can totally see that in that chapter, there is a hint of the Clarke and Bellamy dynamic between Parker and Bellamy, but I'm hoping that in this chapter, you saw that they're different. I really thought about your review and I definitely understood the Bellamy and Clarke dynamic response! I definitely got wind of that myself during the chapter. That's another reason I wrote the scene that I did between Bellamy and Parker during training. I feel like, after episode four, Clarke and Bellamy kind of fall into an understanding. Parker and Bellamy have a lot of beef between them now, as Parker has tried to give him another chance, but, as you read, it didn't work super well. They are definitely destined to be something quite different to Bellamy and Clarke's relationship. Their dynamic will definitely change because of Parker, as she develops her relationship with both leaders differently. I am so happy you're loving Parker, though! And I'm so glad you're reviewing. Thank you so much for all your feedback! You're awesome. :)

 **Anyways, that was a very long response! I hope that all of you enjoyed the chapter.**

 **Because I'm heading back to university soon, I won't have a lot of time to write or update. I'm an education major and my classes are pretty work-heavy. But I will definitely find some time to write and update! I love this story too much not to stay away. I'll try to update once more before I head back, though. I hope everyone had a good Christmas and, everyone who's celebrating Hanukah, I hope you're having a lovely Hanukah! Keep reviewing, following, and favoriting if you can! :)**


	6. Taking the Lead (Earth Kills)

Chapter 6: Taking the Lead (Earth Kills)

* * *

"Kick. Again! Come on, Nathan, again!"

Parker did as Bellamy told her. She reached for his outstretched hand with her foot. She kicked it with little force, but it was good enough for her. She was able to do so without straining her body as much.

Sweat ran like waterfalls down her temples. She hadn't worked this hard in years. Her body remembered what it felt like to fight, but it was her mind that was still getting used to the activity. It felt good to exercise again – to work until she couldn't any more. It was a good distraction from her dying friend in the dropship.

"One more round," Bellamy told her. Even he was perspiring.

The heat on the Ground had been increasing steadily over the past few days. The mornings were growing more humid, which meant that hiding their training sessions from the others made it more difficult. They walked through camp smelling of pit sweat and B.O. Octavia had already complained about Parker's gross-smelling clothes.

Parker nodded at the mention of another round.

Bellamy held his left hand out to the side. Parker got into the correct stance.

"Left. Again. Right. Left."

After the last left kick, Parker's ribs erupted. The pain wasn't nearly as bad as it had been the first day, but every once in a while, it would just happen.

She doubled over, breathing heavily as the sharp pain wove deeply into her chest. It soon subsided and she stood, then got back into position.

Bellamy sighed. "You've done a lot today. Let's stop."

But Parker didn't want to. She shook her head. "No. One more round."

"Octavia will be even more suspicious if you come back with more injuries," reasoned Bellamy.

Parker exhaled loudly and stood up normally. "Fine."

A low moan echoed back from the direction of camp, the sound bouncing around the trees and shrubs. Parker looked back towards the dropship, stomach churning with worry.

"He's getting worse," she commented dimly.

"And driving everyone crazy," Bellamy replied.

Parker grabbed her jacket off the ground and tugged it on. It wasn't pleasant, as her t-shirt was soaked through. She shot Bellamy a scowl.

"He's driving me crazy, too, but he can't help that he's dying," Parker argued. "Clarke's doing all she can to help."

"She's not doing enough," said Bellamy bluntly.

Parker shook her head at him. "If she had any medicine, then she would be able to at least get him to stop being so loud."

"Then she should get some medicine."

"It's not that simple, Bellamy. The biodiversity has changed dramatically because of the radiation. The plants I read about that were said to have healing properties might just have the opposite effects now. After that mutated deer I saw in the forest, anything could have happened," Parker explained. "Besides, she asked me to talk to you about sending a group out today to find anything that could help."

Bellamy held up a hand to stop her. "You saw a mutated deer out here?"

Parker nodded, puzzled at the question. "Yeah, didn't Octavia tell you about it?"

"No, she didn't," Bellamy replied grimly.

Parker noticed that he seemed more disappointed than remotely interested in the deer.

She cleared her throat. "Uh, yeah, it had two faces."

"Oh. Weird."

He cleared his throat, too, but awkwardly. His gaze remained on her face for an unusually long amount of time before he spoke again. He stared down at the dirt at his feet. He kicked up some dust.

"You should probably head back before Octavia figures out what's really going on," said Bellamy.

Parker nodded, then turned and began to head back. A fleeting thought crossed her mind, so she stopped and looked over her shoulder.

"You know, she's eventually going to find out," she told him. "She's smart."

"I know."

And with that, Parker, feeling slightly irritated, but also liberated from the training session, trudged back to the dropship.

* * *

Parker approached the tent slowly. She did her best not to snap any branches underfoot as she crept towards the opening.

She drew back one flap and entered quietly.

But Octavia was already awake. She sat on her bed, feet tucked up under her legs. Her arms were crossed and the expression on her face was almost murderous.

Parker's heart skipped a beat. Her palms grew clammy and the tent seemed unmanageably warm. She tugged on the collar of her jacket.

"Hey, O," she greeted, falsely cheerful. She slumped down onto her own cot and shrugged off her jacket.

"You've been meeting up secretly with Bellamy for three days in a row now," she stated.

Parker pretended to laugh, scoffing. It was a terrible cover up. "What? I – I don't know what you're talking about. Meeting up with _your_ brother? Ha! That's not true…we don't get along."

She didn't make eye contact as she stumbled through her excuse.

One of Octavia's eyebrows shot up. She wasn't buying it.

Parker attempted to nonchalantly kicked off her boots, but Octavia's glare got the best of her. She was not only a terrible liar, but had a difficult time lying to Octavia. They knew so much about each other; it was hard to conceal anything. Parker groaned and slung her feet over the side of the mattress, leaning on her knees. She avoided Octavia's glower.

Parker's response was almost inaudible. "Bellamy and I have a deal."

Octavia's eyes grew ginormous. "A _deal?_ Parker, what kind of deal? Please don't tell me it's anything close to – "

Parker caught on to what she was saying and immediately replied, "Oh, hell no! Not even close, O!"

"Then why would you be sneaking out to go see him at the crack of dawn?" demanded Octavia.

"I'm completing my guard training. Bellamy's been helping me," she admitted. "He's been teaching me how to fight."

"And what else could he be getting in return?" Octavia questioned angrily.

"I'm going to teach him how to shoot," Parker answered. "He's going to try to find ingredients so I can make more bullets."

"And that's it?"

"That's it. I swear."

Octavia leaned back on her bed, flopping down so that her head his her balled-up jacket. "Why didn't you just tell me?"

Parker shook her head. "I thought you'd freak."

"To find out your best friend's been sneaking out of camp to go rendezvous with your big brother _is_ kind of freaky to find out," countered Octavia. "But if you both had come and told me, it wouldn't be so weird to hear about it now."

Parker's eyebrows shot up, slightly amused. "When you put it like 'rendezvous,' then yeah, that's a little freaky."

Octavia chuckled. "Ew, Parker! I didn't mean it like that!"

Parker laughed with her. "That's never going to happen, Tavia!"

Octavia kept on laughing. "Just, just imagine if – if it did! You'd really be my sister!"

Parker's jaw dropped, blushing slightly at the comment. She was uncomfortable with the thought, but not completely (which scared her to pieces). "Octavia, no! No way!"

"Hey, you're blushing!"

"I am not!"

"Yes, you are!"

"That's called natural coloring!"

"Natural coloring, my ass!"

A long, loud moan from the dropship put a damper on their teasing.

"We should go check on him," Octavia said softly.

Parker nodded.

As soon as she had her boots laced up again, she and Octavia headed towards the dropship.

"Ugh, you stink, by the way. What is Bellamy making you do during those training sessions? Roll around in toxic waste?"

Parker chuckled slightly. "That sounds more fun than the kicks we were doing today."

A sharp, painful screech sounded from the dropship.

The two girls exchanged uneasy glances, then raced up the ramp, climbed the ladder, and rushed to Jasper's side.

Parker's stomach rolled unpleasantly as she saw Clarke cutting away at the skin around Jasper's wound. Finn, Wells, and Monty held him down as he writhed against the steel floor.

Octavia bent down next to Clarke while Parker took a place next to Finn on the other side of Jasper.

"Stop it!" cried Octavia. "You're killing him!"

"She's trying to save his life," Finn told her calmly.

"She can't."

Bellamy's deep voice startled Parker. She flinched as he appeared from the trapdoor opening. He shot her an 'I told you so' look as he stepped onto their level.

Wells stood and glared at the older boy. "Back off," he warned.

Clarke couldn't even look at Bellamy. "We didn't drag him through miles of woods just to let him die."

"Kid's a goner," he countered immediately. "If you can't see that, you're deluded."

"I guess we're deluded then," Parker spoke up harshly, her stare at Bellamy hardening.

Bellamy stared right back, speaking as if he was throwing Parker under the bus. "He's making people crazy."

Clarke's voice rose in volume and in anger. "Sorry if Jasper's an inconvenience to you, but this isn't the Ark. Down here, every life matters."

"Take a look at him."

Parker's gaze inconveniently fell on her sick friend just as Bellamy spoke. Octavia blotted Jasper's forehead with a wet cloth.

"He's a lost cause."

Clarke still didn't look back at Bellamy. Instead, she addressed Octavia.

"Octavia, I've spent my whole life watching my mother heal people. If I say there's hope, there's hope."

Parker nodded, agreeing wholeheartedly. Wells did, too, and so did Monty. The only person that didn't was Finn, which twisted her stomach into knots. Why wasn't he agreeing with Clarke?

"This isn't about hope, it's about guts. You don't have the guts to make the hard choices. I do. He's been like this for three days. If he's not better by tomorrow, I'll kill him myself," concluded Bellamy.

"Like hell you will," Parker retorted, standing boldly. "You may be the self-elected leader of this camp, but you do not have the authority to decide who lives and who dies. You try to kill him, you go through me. Just as a reminder, _I_ am the one with the gun, and _I_ decide what that last bullet is used for. You try to kill him, that bullet goes in you."

Parker saw Bellamy clench his jaw in frustration. Wells smirked.

"You heard Parker," he said smugly. "You cross Jasper, you die."

"She never said anything about killing him, Wells," Clarke told him firmly.

"I can shoot to kill," Parker affirmed. "I'm not going to kill you, Bellamy, but I can shoot you in a place where you can never walk again."

Bellamy licked his lips, a smirk on his face. What advantage did he have over her?

"You shoot me, the deal's off," he spat. Parker's heart fell. "Octavia, let's go."

Octavia didn't look back at her older brother. "I'm staying here." Then her face changed. "Actually, I need to talk to you." She turned to the rest of the group. "I'll be right back."

She hurried down the ladder after Bellamy. She glanced back anxiously at Jasper as the climbed.

"What did you do to Atom?" she demanded, her voice fading as the siblings stalked out of the dropship.

"Power hungry, self-serving jackass. He doesn't care about anyone but himself." Monty remarked bitterly. "Thanks, Parker."

"It was the right thing to do," she replied as she sat back down beside Finn. Her heart pounded like a drum. She could risk her deal as long as Jasper stayed alive. But it jarred her.

"Yeah, Bellamy is all that," Finn said grimly, "but he also happens to be right."

"Excuse me?" Clarke snapped. "Jasper is not some wounded animal we want to keep as a pet. He's a real person with a real life and real people that care for him; including me. I am not giving up on him, not after all I've done."

Finn shrugged. "But think about it. Jasper is using up a lot of resources we need to save up if we're going to survive any Grounder attack."

Clarke gripped onto part of the poultice that she had taken off of Jasper. Her knuckles were white. She turned to Parker.

"Let me know if anything changes," she said. And with that, without any look towards Finn, Wells, or Monty, she left.

Parker's anger flared slightly towards Finn. She still hadn't exactly forgiven him for his outburst at her after her fight. She knew she was in the wrong, and a lecture didn't help. And after what he had just said?

"I'm not going back on my word, Finn," Parker told him. "If he tries to hurt Jasper, I shoot him."

Finn sighed. "I know. And I'm not saying I think we should kill him, Parker. But Bellamy is right about him. He's dying. He's not going to make it much longer."

"That's why we need to act now," Monty piped up. "I'm not losing my best friend."

"Do you really think having more blood spilt is gonna fare well with those on the Ark once they come down here?" Wells questioned. Parker begrudgingly had to approve. He was right.

"If the people on the Ark are ever going to come down here, they need to see that our group of delinquents and criminals are capable of saving lives, not just taking them," she convinced Finn.

"Clarke can't stay mad at you forever," Monty suggested. "You might want to go talk to her."

"Unless you're me," Wells snickered darkly.

"I guess you guys are right," Finn nodded. "I'll go see where she went."

As Finn left, Wells stood. "I'll make sure that she doesn't poison him or something."

Then, Wells left, too. It was just Parker and Monty left with a moaning Jasper. Parker took the cloth Octavia had been using earlier and began dabbing at her friend's forehead.

"What was that deal Bellamy mentioned?" Monty asked curiously.

Parker kept on with the cloth, not looking up as she responded. "I never finished learning how to fight, so he's teaching me what I don't know. I'm helping him with his shooting in return."

"You really want to take lessons from Bellamy Blake?"

"I need to be prepared when the Grounders finally make a move. I've got one bullet left, and that won't get me very far in a battle. I need to know how to really fight. I have to defend myself."

"You did a good job with Murphy. His eye's been purple for days," Monty replied, smiling every so lightly. "You defended yourself then pretty well."

Parker grinned. "Thanks, Monty, but I got the crap kicked out of me. Do you see these bruises?"

"Yeah, I see them."

"Then that's proof, then, isn't it?"

"I guess."

Suddenly, a loud clank was heard at the bottom of the ladder. Before either had time to ask who it was, a dark head popped up.

"Hey."

It was Octavia.

"How's he doing?"

She scrambled over to hold Jasper's hand.

Parker gave her a strange look. "What were you talking to Bellamy about? Who's Atom?"

"I don't need a speech, about boys, Parks. Bellamy already scared him off," the younger girl said, frustrated.

Parker frowned, resting the cloth on Jasper's forehead and leaving it there as she spoke. "What? I wasn't going to lecture you, O. I was just wondering who Atom is…or was, from what you just said."

"It was a guy I liked. Well, like."

Monty scooted back over to his work. "I'll let you two talk."

"And what happened?" wondered Parker.

"Bellamy put him in charge of watching me when you guys went to rescue Jasper," Octavia relayed. "We were kind of together. Bellamy didn't like that, so he ended it. And now, Atom won't even look at me."

Parker shook her head in response. "Why does that not surprise me. You know what he said this morning?"

"What?"

"He kept going on about how you don't listen to him. How I am the one that you listen to, and that I should tell you to obey him instead of mine."

Octavia scoffed, picking up the cloth where Parker left off. She dipped it in a small pail filled with cold water, wrung it out, and folded it on Jasper's forehead.

"I don't obey your orders if that's what he thinks is going on. I'm my own person. I don't understand him sometimes," the younger girl exasperated. "Sure, he's my brother, he's seven years older, and he basically raised me, but does he not understand I'm not some six-year-old hiding in the floor anymore?"

"I've tried to tell him that, O," Parker said gently. "Several times, this morning included. I've tried giving him a second chance, but he won't even try to listen. The only person he'll process the information from is you. You have to tell him yourself."

"You don't think I've tried? I've done the same thing you have, Parker, and he won't even listen to _me._ I'm his _sister_ and he won't believe me," Octavia replied. "Maybe he's just what everyone says he is."

"And what would that be?"

"A self-serving, power-hungry jackass."

"You heard that?"

Monty looked up from his work on the wristbands, eyes wide.

"Yeah, I heard," said Octavia. "But it's okay. Everyone's got their own opinion. Don't feel bad, Monty. I hear it all around camp."

"Then why do people listen to him?" Monty wondered severely.

Parker thought for a moment. Why did people take orders from Bellamy Blake? And then it hit her. "Because they're inspired," she spoke up. "They think that because he's older, he's got the power. They still think he's got the gun. He's the one that rallied them to start making weapons to defend themselves against the Grounders, wasn't he? And they did what he wanted them to."

Monty nodded. "Yeah, but don't they see the bigger picture?"

"They don't see it because they don't want to," Octavia realized.

"What do you mean?" inquired Parker.

"I mean, what did all of us do after the dropship door opened? We ran around like crazy, right? We are criminals, after all. We pretend we're not afraid of anything. We think of ourselves first, not each other. In the end, they don't see what's best for all of us in the future, just themselves. And letting them do whatever the hell they want? That's them thinking for them, not for each other. And if we think for each other, we can see the bigger picture – what's better for us all," Octavia explained. "But saving Jasper is different. We're trying to save his life. That's why Bellamy can't kill him. He's thinking about what benefits himself, not for Jasper."

"Parker! Parker!"

Parker frowned as she heard her name called from the bottom floor of the dropship. She scooted over to see Clarke staring up from the bottom of the ladder.

"Can we talk to you?"

Parker nodded. "Sure, I'll be right down."

She scurried down the ladder to see Clarke, Finn, and Wells standing down there all in a row, seemingly all business.

"We think we might have found a cure for Jasper," started Clarke.

Parker's eyebrows shot up, hope sparking in her eyes. "Really?"

"There's this red seaweed growing in a river somewhere close by. If I can collect some, I might be able to make a tea out of it. It's possible that the antibiotic properties it possesses may speed up his healing," Clarke explained.

"Okay," said Parker confidently. "When are we leaving?"

"You would definitely be a help, but I need you here," Clarke replied. "I need someone to keep an eye on Jasper."

"What about Octavia? She's been doing a pretty good job up there. And with Monty nearby, I'm sure that they'd be fine," countered Parker. "I want to help."

"You're not healed yet," Clarke argued.

"You'd just slow us down," Finn agreed. "We've got to get this fast, or else we'll lose him."

Parker narrowed her eyes at the other boy. She knew she needed to forgive him, but her emotions against it were too strong. "I thought you stood by Bellamy. Since when are you up for putting your faith in a dying boy?"

"Since Clarke," he said firmly.

Both Clarke and Wells' heads snapped over to stare at him. Clarke was obviously flattered and a bit pleased that he had said so. Wells seemed frustrated, yet shocked.

Parker's eyebrows seemed to rise even more. She nodded and agreed. She could forgive him now. She let the negative emotions dissipate.

"Good. She knows what she's talking about," she agreed.

"We'll be back as soon as possible. Don't let Bellamy get anywhere near Jasper," Clarke told her.

"After all that? Not a chance," Parker confirmed.

Clarke smiled. "Great. Make sure to make Jasper drinks a little bit of water every hour or so. He's got to keep hydrated. And circling in that cold cloth on his forehead will help break his fever. Try not to touch any of his wounds. Any extra bacteria on your hands could infect them."

"No problem," Parker affirmed.

"See you soon, okay?" Clarke said.

Parker nodded. "Okay. Be safe, you guys."

"We will," winked Finn.

Wells put hand up in goodbye. He seemed aggravated to have to go with both Clarke _and_ Finn. He hadn't said a word that entire conversation.

Parker smiled as they walked out of the dropship. They were all carrying the makeshift packs that she had invented.

She yelled up to Octavia. "I'm going to go grab my jacket, O! I'll be right back!"

"Okay!" Octavia yelled back.

By the time Parker was at the end of the dropship ramp, she could see the backs of the trio's head disappearing through the foliage. She smirked a little. She believed they could save Jasper.

She made her way to her shared tent, grabbed her jacket, and started back towards the dropship. She sniffed the jacket before pulling it on.

 _Ick,_ she thought. _Maybe Octavia's right about me needing to bathe sometime soon._

"Nathan," she heard Bellamy's voice call.

She rolled her eyes. What could that moron want now?

She spun on her heel to see Bellamy stalking up to her, spear in hand.

"I'm taking a group hunting. Hoping you would come along for cover," he told her.

Parker scoffed at him. "After all that you just said about killing Jasper? I'm not going anywhere with you. Besides, you've got weapons. If the Grounders come along, you're perfectly capable of defending yourself."

She shot him a scowl before wheeling around and starting back to the dropship. Back to her dying friend.

"We could use your sharp eye, Nathan," he called after her. "Consider it."

"Already considered. Me and my sharp eye are keeping a look out for Jasper," she called back, not caring enough to look over her shoulder. Bellamy Blake wasn't worth spending any more time with. She responded sarcastically. "Good luck, though. I recommend catching something a little less life-threatening this time."

She was satisfied when she received no answer back, just a shout for others to follow him out into the forest.

* * *

The next time Parker left the dropship, it was later in the evening, just as the sun was dropping out of sight.

She stood at the water trough, filling up the bucket with more cold water for Jasper. She sighed. Spending all day cooped up inside with a moaning, groaning, fading person was emotionally exhausting. She didn't understand how Octavia managed to stay so focused on Jasper. After a while, Parker, shamefully, got bored of just sitting there. It was nice to talk to Octavia, and, once in a while, Monty, but she wanted to move, to practice what she and Bellamy had been going over during training.

BOOM! CRACK!

Parker glanced up to see the sky darkening with a sickly yellow cloud. Her heart immediately started to pound. This wasn't an average cloud; she knew that much from her readings. She quickly finished her job, then saw how many people had stopped what they were doing to stare up at the yellow cloud.

But then, Parker realized, that it wasn't what she originally thought. It swirled and expanded like no cloud she had ever seen – that was fog. And that fog was dangerous.

"EVERYBODY IN THE DROPSHIP!" she bellowed.

There was an immediate response. People didn't ask twice. Many bolted for the ramp, some tripping and falling on their way there. Parker pushed her way through to stand by the lever for the door.

The yellow fog twisted and curled, its tendrils reaching for the young criminals as if beckoning them closer. The air smelled sour and burnt as it drew near. It weighed heavily in her lungs. Parker figured out that it must be poisonous.

It barely reached a few delinquents as they flew inside. Some tumbled to the ground as they reached safety. Others shouted to each other, making sure their friends were unharmed.

Parker yanked on the lever, making the door close just as the fog reached the plastic flaps inside the doorway.

"What's going on?" demanded Monty from above.

"Air got thick, everybody's skin starting burning!" Parker heard a girl say back.

The dropship was extremely crowded. Teens were piled on top of one another on each floor. Parker groaned as some started to bicker over who got what blanket. She couldn't spend the night with annoying, argumentative teen criminals.

"HEY!" she screeched. She took out the pistol and banged it on the metal door. Everyone went completely silent. The only thing audible was Jasper's groaning up above. All eyes were on Parker.

She was nervous to have so many people looking to her, but she took it in stride. She quickly thought about Clarke's instructions about Jasper and understood what she needed to do to make sure Jasper lived through the night.

"Listen up, you guys," she announced, "everybody who's not caring for Jasper needs to stay down here on the bottom level. Anybody up there needs to move – now!"

Many kids grumbled as more criminals joined them all below.

"Who put you in charge?" came an accusing voice to her left.

Murphy stepped forward, arms crossed in defiance.

Parker immediately wanted to shrink back into her own skin. The sight of the boy still made her skin crawl. He had tried to kill her for nothing but her wristband, which was still securely attached to her wrist. She shook slightly as she spoke to him.

"Clarke put me in charge of Jasper. I'm doing what is best for him."

"And what's a few kids sitting up there going to do? He's already dying," Murphy declared.

Parker shook her head. "No. A few kids could make all the difference whether he lives or dies. If any more harmful bacteria gets into those cuts, the worse he'll get. That is the exact opposite of what needs to happen. If we have a bunch of people that have been exposed to who-knows-what out there poking around in a place where only a few people have been in for the past three days," she said, pointing to the door, "then he'll die." She addressed the entire group. "Anybody touches Jasper with the intent of killing him answers to me or Octavia."

"What about supplies?" a boy called from the back. She recognized him.

 _Miller,_ she thought. _He's one of the guys that didn't like it when Bellamy started his reign. He was one of the only people that seemed to agree with what Clarke had said when we got back from Mt. Weather._

"They're limited. We have to share as much as we can with one another if we're all going to survive the night," she replied.

"Why should anybody have to put up with this bitch?" Murphy declared, stepping forward, spinning, and facing the crowd of delinquents in the dropship.

"Because Clarke trusts her."

A voice rang out from the rungs of the ladder. Parker smiled when she saw that it was Monty. It wasn't often that he put himself out there. It was rare to see him come out of his shell. Parker was grateful.

Monty carefully jumped from the second to last rung onto the concrete floor. The others parted to let him through to the front. He took a place next to Parker.

"And I know most of you trust Clarke," Monty continued. "Clarke is our healer, our doctor. If any of you know her mom, Abby Griffin, you'll know they're just alike. They think about what's best for the masses, not for themselves. If Clarke trusts Parker to look after Jasper, then you can trust Parker to make the right decisions for all of us."

Most of the teens in the crowd nodded or verbally agreed with Monty. Clarke was an important, respected part of their camp, and many people had faith in Clarke's choices. They knew Parker was looking out for the good of them all, and keep Jasper alive in the process.

Much to Parker's gratification, Murphy slunk back into the ranks of the teens. He knew when he could win a fight, and this was not one of those times.

"Everyone just find a place to settle for the night," Parker told them. "I know it's not going to be comfortable, but it's the best we've got right now, at least until that fog clears up."

The crowd did their best to disperse, but it was difficult in such a tight space. Murmuring broke out amongst them all.

"What are we going to do about Clarke, Wells, and Finn?" Monty asked, concerned.

Parker sighed. She knew what she had to do. "I'm heading out as soon as that fog is gone. I have to make sure they're okay."

"What happens if they aren't?"

Parker stared at everyone around them. Fear instantly ran through her bones. It crippled her mind, sending shivers down her spine.

"I don't know," she whispered.

"You can't go alone," Monty said. "There are still Grounders out there."

"I'll have to take someone along," Parker replied quietly.

"Who?"

Parker shrugged. "I'll figure it out."

Then, almost forgetting he was up there, Jasper let out a small yelp.

Monty and Parker hurried over to the ladder and climbed up to the second floor.

"Nice speech, Parks," Octavia complimenting, smirking slightly.

Parker smiled back. "Thanks." She knelt down next to her best friend to check on Jasper. "Is he okay?"

"As okay as a dying person can be," Octavia chuckled darkly. "But he'll be okay once they get back with that seaweed."

Parker stared down at Jasper, worry filling every seam of her mind; worry for Jasper, but also for Clarke, Wells, and Finn, outside. She was even worried for Bellamy. She didn't think it was possible, but she attributed the worry to being because of Octavia. She didn't want her best friend to lose her brother. Being worried about Bellamy meant she was worried for Octavia…right?

Jasper's condition deteriorated as the night went on. His moaning and groaning became almost unbearably loud for Parker to handle. But she didn't let herself lose it. Not like Murphy.

The three up on the second floor of the dropship could hear the disgruntled comments coming from the rest of the hundred below.

Monty had gone downstairs to get a drink of water when Murphy snapped.

Parker and Octavia heard a scuffling from below, then Monty's frantic voice calling out from the ladder.

"Murphy's going to kill Jasper!" he cried as he leapt from the ladder.

"What?" exclaimed Parker.

Monty began to closet the trapdoor just as Murphy's squished face made an appearance.

Both she and Octavia ran over, trying to push Murphy down and close the door. Parker did her best to hang on, but Murphy ended up punching her cracked ribs.

"UGH!" she screamed, falling back onto the concrete floor.

Parker watched, head swimming in pain, as Octavia booted him in the eye, the same eye Parker had punched. He fell down a few rungs, and Monty was finally able to close the trap. He sat on it as Murphy pushed up from below.

"The lock's on the other side!" Monty told them frantically. He then proceeded to sit down on the door. It bounced underneath him as Murphy banged on it with all his might.

"Don't let him in!" Octavia screamed, pacing frantically.

Parker finally got through the pain and plopped down next to Monty on the trap door. They heard him yelling from down below.

"I'm gonna kill him, okay? Let me in! Let me in, Monty!"

Parker wished she could have been more help. She had a gun on her, but didn't want to use it on Murphy inside the dropship. That was just asking for a disaster.

Octavia ripped a pipe from the wall and jammed it through the handle and the curved hinge just beside it. The trapdoor was unable to open from Murphy's side.

The three sat there, panting, as their adrenaline levels decreased.

"The three of you better open up this hatch right now!"

"I've still got my gun, Murphy! We'd like to see you try!" Parker roared back. Her voice was somewhat scratchy. She was tired.

The moved off of the trapdoor slowly, making sure it was going to hold.

Monty put a hand on Parker's shoulder. "You need to rest."

Parker shook her head, eyes drooping ever so slightly. "No, I don't. I need to take care of Jasper."

"I'll take care of Jasper for now," Monty replied. "I'm getting nowhere with those wristbands. I could us a break and the both of you need to sleep."

Parker and Octavia were both grateful.

"Thanks, Monty," the younger girl replied.

Parker folded her jacket up to use as a pillow, just as always. She laid down in the darkest corner, away from Monty's blue lantern, and quickly fell asleep.

* * *

She didn't know how long she slept, but Monty woke her first.

"I'm sorry," he told her weakly. "But I can't keep my eyes open any longer."

Parker nodded. She understood. "Here. Take my spot."

Monty already had his own jacket balled up for a pillow. Parker picked up her own and moved out of the way so that he could rest.

He was out like a light.

Parker slumped over to Jasper, blinking out the sleep that still clouded her vision.

Her mind was numb for a while, replaying Murphy attempting to kill Jasper. It rattled her to the core. The fact that Bellamy just let this guy stride around camp, right-hand man to him, the guy in charge? That was truly a terrifying thought. Not only that, but Jasper wasn't the only person Murphy had wanted dead – Parker, too. It made her want to protect him even more, not just because he was her friend, but she knew what it was like to be threatened by Murphy.

She had almost nodded off for the third time when heard the dropship ramp fall. She was instantly wide awake, glad that she was housed up on the second floor. When she heard voices saying it was all clear, she breathed a sigh of relief. The fog had rolled away.

She remembered what she had told Monty last night. She was going to find Clarke, Wells, and Finn. Even if they were dead, she wanted to at least find their bodies. The thought of them being dead made her heart skip a beat. Even the thought of Bellamy dead made her heart race in terror. Octavia didn't deserve more dead family members. Bellamy was all she had.

Parker decided right there what she had to do. She had to go alone – out into the forest alone.

She pulled on her dark green jacket and ran a hand through her hair. She hurried over to a sleeping Octavia. She lightly tapped her best friend on the shoulder.

"O, hey, O," she whispered. "Wake up."

Octavia shook herself awake, her eyes squinting up at Parker.

"My turn?" she muttered, voice low.

"I think the fog finally passed through," Parker told her. "But I'd make sure someone is always on watch for Jasper. Keep a weapon with you at all times up here, just in case."

"Are you not going to be here?" wondered the younger girl, sitting up and rubbing her eyes a few times.

"I'm going after them. I have to find out where they are."

"Parker, you're not going alone," Octavia protested. "At least find someone to go with you."

Parker knew that she couldn't risk putting anyone else in danger. With just her, it made her more of a target, but she had the pistol. Even if it had one bullet, she could take a knife with her for self-defense just in case.

She had to lie to Octavia, something she was terrible at.

"I will," she agreed, voice trembling.

Octavia must have been too exhausted to notice the shake in Parker's tone and her inability to make eye contact.

"Be safe," said Octavia, pulling Parker in for a crushing hug.

Parker ignored the minor flare up in her ribs and hugged her best friend back.

"Please find them alive," the girl muttered.

Parker nodded and let go, standing. "Can you bolt the hatch after me? You've got enough water to drink, haven't you?"

Octavia waved her off. "We'll be fine. Go."

Parker slid the pipe from its place and opened the door cautiously. The dropship was empty.

She climbed down, giving Octavia one last wave before her best friend shut the door behind her.

Parker jogged out of the dropship and back to the tent. She grabbed her own pack and her blanket, just in case. She stuffed the blanket in the pack as she ran out of her tent and over to the water trough.

She filled the makeshift water bottle floating in the trough, then put that in the pack as well. She spotted a spare knife lying by the fire pit, and snagged it as she ran by. She slung it through her belt loop in her trousers for safekeeping. Her pistol was still situated in the back of her waistband, the safety on.

She had no trouble leaving the camp. Nobody watched, nor did they care.

Parker's stomach growled as she hurried in the direction she saw Clarke, Wells, and Finn take off to.

It was a couple hours before Parker stopped to take a water break.

She sat on the roots of a large sycamore and chugged water like there was no tomorrow. She was growing desperate. She had seen no evidence that anyone had passed through anytime recently. She had heard nothing, which troubled her. And, of course, she hadn't seen another living soul.

 _Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to come out here alone,_ Parker thought nervously. _If the Grounders are around here, I'm screwed. I'm a walking target._

Then, out of the blue, a scream echoed nearby.

Parker nearly spewed her water at the sudden loud noise. She scrambled to her feet, head pounding, pulse racing. She quickly, and somewhat clumsily put away the water and whipped out the pistol, clicking the safety off.

She sprinted in the direction of the bloodcurdling screams.

She caught sight of a human being, an alarm going off in her brain. She ran up behind them, her pistol aimed at their backs.

"Don't move!" she threatened.

The two people quickly turned, both shocked. She gasped when she realized who one of those people was. Bellamy Blake. A little girl stood, petrified, at his side. His arm was out to protect her. He dropped it once he comprehended who it was with the gun.

"Parker?" he questioned, his eyes wide.

 _That's the only time I've ever heard him use my first name._ The thought fired through her mind before she could process anything else.

The only thing that came out of her mouth was, "Bellamy?"

"Please put down the gun," the girl whined.

Parker stared at her, confused, until she looked down to see that she was, in fact, still in a shooting stance. She instantly lowered it, turned on the safety, and shoved it back into her trousers waistband.

"Sorry," she murmured at them. "I just wasn't expecting to see you out here."

A strained whimper sounded from just up the ridge, where Bellamy and the younger girl stood.

"What the hell is going on?" she asked frantically.

"No, Parker, you don't want to see – " started Bellamy.

Parker brushed past him, curious to see what they were enamored with. She inhaled sharply when she saw what was lying in the dirt just feet from them. It was a boy. And she recognized him – Atom. It was the one that Octavia had liked, the one that Bellamy pushed away from his sister.

Her head spun for a moment, a wave of nausea overtaking her. It left quickly, but she still couldn't bear the sight. He was bloody. Sores and blisters peppered his body like freckles. Scabs and cuts oozed crimson. His eyes were glazed over and cloudy.

"Acid fog," Parker realized. It hadn't been just poisonous – it was acidic. Radiation must have changed the environment to such an extreme, acid fog had become a norm.

Bellamy slowly walked by and knelt by Atom's shaking body. Parker took a few steps closer, trying to block the little girl's view.

Bellamy's head lowered, as if he was trying to hear what Atom was trying to breathe out.

Parker stepped even closer, almost to Atom's feet.

Footsteps were heard behind them, and Parker almost pulled out her pistol until she saw that it was a group of three other delinquents. They must have been a part of Bellamy's hunting crew. She wasn't sure where the girl came in.

Bellamy stood as the girl walked forward and stood just in front of Parker, in full sight of Atom's struggling form.

Parker watched as the little girl pulled a knife from her pockets and slipped it into Bellamy's hand. She knew that he would have to put Atom out of his misery. He would never recover.

"Don't be afraid," she told him boldly.

Bellamy glanced down once at the girl, then at the group over Parker's shoulder.

"Go back to camp," he told them.

Parker looked over her shoulder to see them stumbling away. They were afraid. And was, too.

"You, too, Charlotte," Bellamy said to the girl.

Charlotte's eyes flickered from Bellamy, to Atom, then to Parker, and then to the ground. She slowly traipsed away, through the trees, and, as the two older ones assumed, out of sight. But instead, they turned back to each other.

"Will you stay?" Bellamy pleaded, his voice thin. It cracked over the words. Even he, the great leader of the camp, was afraid. Parker then saw that he was human, too. He could break. He was breaking. He couldn't kill Atom on his own, or, at least, alone.

In all of her astonished, yet sickened emotions, Parker surprised herself and nodded.

She stepped right beside the older boy, their shoulders almost touching. They stooped together, the knife in Bellamy's hand outstretched.

"Kill me," Atom begged, voice barely more than a rasp. "Bellamy, please."

Parker's heart wrenched when Atom, very slowly, tilted his head to one side, giving them full reach on his neck. He wanted Bellamy to stab him in the throat – right in the jugular.

Parker's skin grew clammy as Bellamy's eyes met hers. He shook his head slightly. He couldn't do it.

Then, a branch snapped behind them. They turned. It was Clarke.

She stalked over, took one look at Atom, and threw down her pack. She crouched on the opposite side. Her eyes swept over Atom's condition.

"I heard screams," she explained carefully.

"Charlotte found him," Bellamy replied, voice unnaturally low. "I sent her back to camp."

"I heard them, too," Parker said slowly. "I thought it was Grounders."

Clarke's gaze flickered to Parker, almost questioning why she was even there in the first place. But she dismissed it once she focused her attention back on Atom.

She glanced over his clouded eyes, his scabby neck, and all the blisters and burns on his arms. She looked up at both Bellamy and Parker and shook her head as Atom's pleading continued.

Parker gulped. He had to be killed. He had to be put out of his misery.

She glanced over to Bellamy, whose jaw clenched. He knew, too. But he didn't like it.

Clarke took a short, shallow breath, preparing herself for what had to be done.

"Okay," she murmured kindly. "I'm going to help you, all right?"

She smoothed down Atom's hair and began to hum a simple melody. Clarke held out her hand, waiting for the knife to be placed there. But Bellamy's arm didn't budge. He didn't give her the blade. He knew that Atom had to die, but he didn't want to see it happen. His eyes were locked onto Atom.

Parker gently unclasped his fingers from around the knife and handed it over to Clarke. She went to withdraw her hand from Bellamy's, but he held on to her. He slid his hand into hers, holding on to it like it was dear life. He lowered it to their sides to that Clarke wouldn't see.

Parker was terrified at how uneasy Bellamy was. Although they didn't get along, she had always thought of him as some fearless, unstoppable warrior. Now, she saw him for what he really was underneath – a scared little boy, not a killer. Not an indestructible, power-hungry moron. He was young, like her, like the rest of them. He didn't want death, although he talked of it about the fate of the Grounders. At the end of the day, he wasn't the big man in camp at all. The name of Bellamy Blake was one of somebody who had seen his mother float and his sister thrown in jail, and his rank in the guards demoted to nothing. A janitor. A broken boy.

So she held on, too.

Clarke kept humming as she aimed the knife at Atom's jugular. Parker's eyes were glued to Clarke. She had even more respect for the blonde now. She had guts, unlike Bellamy had said before.

The blade slipped into Atom's neck with a soft squelch. Bellamy squeezed Parker's hand at the noise. His face was no indication of what he actually felt about it all. But Parker knew. They didn't dare look at each other. Their eyes were trained on Clarke and Atom.

The wound in Atom's neck poured blood. Atom struggled to breathe even more, choking on his own blood.

But Clarke never stopped humming or patting his head. She kept a close eye on where the knife entered his body. She had to be sure that it was enough to give Atom what he wanted.

Finally, after a minute or two of agonizing pain, Atom breathed his last breath. The moment it happened, Bellamy clasped Parker's hand so tightly, a few of her knuckles cracked.

Clarke closed the boy's eyes, a sick expression on her features. She looked up at them both sadly.

Then, as if he realized that he and Parker were still complete enemies, he ripped his hand out of her grasp and clung on to axe instead.

"He got caught in the acid fog," he relayed to Clarke. "I couldn't go after him. If I had, I would have ended up the same way."

"This isn't your fault, Bellamy," she told him firmly. "There wasn't anything you could have done." Her gaze changed to Parker. Her expression turned to one of confusion. "How are you here? I told you to watch Jasper."

"I left him with Octavia and Monty. Octavia's been doing a much better job at taking care of him than me. She's absolutely capable," Parker countered. "We got everybody in the dropship before the fog harmed anyone permanently. But we were worried. Octavia kept talking about how her brother was out here, and I couldn't let her lose anybody she cared about. And I didn't want to lose any of you, so I left to find you. I almost expected to find your bodies. Instead, I found Bellamy and Charlotte with Atom."

To Parker's astonishment, Bellamy seemed okay with Octavia being left there with Monty.

"She's safe," Bellamy muttered.

"It really wasn't smart to come out here alone, Parker," Clarke scolded. "Without anybody else there for backup, you've could've been captured. Or worse."

Parker's eyes strayed to the dirt at her knees. She answered timidly. "I know. I just – I didn't want anybody else to get hurt."

Clarke sighed. Then, they were all quiet.

"We need to move the body," Bellamy finally said after a beat.

Just then, Finn and Wells came bounding through the trees. They stopped and stared in horror.

"He got caught in the acid fog, didn't he?" asked Finn breathily.

Clarke nodded.

"We need to bury him," Wells said. "If we carry him back to camp, I can give him a grave next to the others we've lost."

"We'll make a stretcher," Clarke said. "Parker, can you do that?"

Parker nodded slowly. "I'll need two strong branches or logs of the same length and cloth."

It didn't take them long to find the materials, nor did it take Parker long to put together a stretcher. Wells and Bellamy carefully lifted Atom's body onto the invention and they all headed out together.

* * *

They made it back to camp at dark. A large bonfire roared in the center of camp. Clarke immediately stalked off towards the dropship with Finn. Parker stopped and sat in the dirt, legs aching. She opened her pack and took a gulp of water.

Bellamy and Wells set down Atom's body just beside her.

"Get Clarke whatever she needs," the older boy told another girl as she passed by. Wells trudged over to Bellamy and Parker.

"I better go get this grave dug," he told them. And then, he was gone.

Parker stood as she spotted Octavia's head bobbing in and out of the crowd. Clarke held her back for a moment, but not before Octavia pushed away and marched over to Parker and Bellamy.

Parker sighed. Octavia was not going to like what was under the gray tarp they had gotten from Wells' pack. It worried her that Octavia was going to get angry with her, or with Bellamy.

Octavia attempted to charge past her brother, but he held her back.

"Octavia, just stay there," he implored. "Please, stay back."

"Why? Bell, stop," she urged, pulling out of his arms.

Parker didn't even try to stop her. She was going to find out the truth sometime, and she wasn't going to like it either way.

She gulped as Octavia knelt in front of the stretcher. She cautiously took the jacket off the face of the body. It was like she was already expecting it to be Atom.

"Atom," she whispered helplessly.

Parker ran a hand through her hair, then put it on her forehead. She hated seeing her best friend hurting. It made her want to cry, especially when Bellamy tried to tell Octavia the truth.

"There's nothing I could do," he said earnestly.

Parker stepped towards the fire, not bearing to look at Octavia's distraught expression.

"Don't," she heard her friend demand.

After a moment, Bellamy spoke again, his voice cracking. "O, O, please…"

"Don't," she repeated firmly.

Parker turned to walk with her friend, but Octavia fell into her arms and buried her face in Parker's shoulder.

Parker's eyes welled up, and they overflowed. Tears traced paths down her face, falling on Octavia's hair. The younger girl shook as she sobbed silently. Everyone around them hung their heads at another loss.

Bellamy watched the two girls with a forlorn look on his face. His eyes met Parker's and his gaze grew cold. He was jealous, jealous that Octavia hadn't come to him for comfort.

Parker moved so that she held Octavia with one arm and began to walk her towards the dropship. She felt Bellamy's eyes boring holes into her skull as the two trudged away.

Today had not been a good day.

* * *

 **Wow, that was the longest chapter yet. I really hope you all enjoyed it! I really enjoyed writing it.**

 **If you have an account with fanfiction, then I've already replied to your reviews over PM. For those of you who are lovely enough to leave reviews but don't have an account, here are my replies to your reviews:**

12: Thank you so much for reviewing again! I really appreciate it. :) That's awesome that you're a Bellarke shipper! I am when I watch the show. Unfortunately, Bellarke isn't going to happen in this fanfic. However, a Bellamy/Parker shipping is definitely a possibility! I am definitely thinking of beginning to move towards that (hopefully you saw a little of that in this chapter). It'll be a really slow burn, though, that's for sure! And you're right, Bellamy definitely takes a while to get to know people. He doesn't trust people easily at all. Again, thanks for reviewing! You're awesome. :)

CrumbyGoat: First of all, thank you so, so, so much for your kind compliments! I am so grateful for all that you said. I'm so glad you like Parker! I hope I'm making her unique enough to fit in with the rest of the group in the 100. Second of all, your username is hilarious! I saw it and I laughed so hard! I love it so much. Thank you so much for reviewing! :)

 **I will definitely keep writing and try to update before school gets back in session. I was so motivated to write, I pounded out this chapter in about three days! It took a while to write, just because of the sheer amount I decided to put all in one chapter.**

 **Anyways, I will try my best to keep updating at a semi-regular basis! Please don't forget to review, follow, or favorite if you want! :)**


	7. Civil War (Murphy's Law - part 1)

Chapter 7: Civil War (Murphy's Law – pt. 1)

* * *

For some reason, everything that ever needed to happen only happened when Parker was asleep.

She was shaken awake, surprisingly, by Finn. A certain dread pooled in the pit of her stomach. The weight of Wells' death yesterday had hit her hard. He had been found by a girl they called Monroe, who immediately ran back into camp, screaming and shouting about a body just outside. Everyone rushed through the unfinished walls; many bolted back in after seeing Wells lying there in a lake of his own blood. Others stayed – the others being Clarke, Finn, Bellamy, and Parker.

Clarke had immediately sunk to her knees, the tears instantaneous. Finn had sat down next to her, letting her cry into his shoulder. Bellamy did what he always did – clenched his jaw and let his eyes do all the talking. He wasn't fond of Jaha, but he didn't wish him death.

Parker had stumbled back against the tree, her vision going funny. She clapped a hand over her mouth. She was too shocked to do anything else. So she leaned against the tree, tears slowly streaming down her face.

"Grounders," Bellamy had said, voice gravelly. "It had to be Grounders."

Finn nodded. "There's no other explanation."

Now, as Parker sat up on her mattress, blinking sleep out of her eyes, Finn still looked the same.

"Octavia and Jasper found something," he relayed. "Something relating to Wells' death."

She nodded and replied sarcastically as she threw off her blanket. "Great."

"We're meeting in Bellamy's tent," said Finn. Parker slid her feet into her boots and tied them. She didn't glance up at Finn as he left. He knew that she and Bellamy still weren't on good terms, even if he had assigned her a pretty good job – captain of patrols. She had stayed out all night, and those few hours of sleep were heaven on earth compared to what she'd been dealing with.

The past week's training had been hell. Ever since Bellamy had held her hand while Atom died, he had been harsher. He knew she was healing still, yet he pushed her physically. He spoke little to not at all during the sessions, and rarely at camp.

Parker had led a couple successful hunting trips since Jasper's recovery, and all Bellamy would say was, "nice kill." And it hadn't even been her to kill it. She had merely led the operation and set up the shot for one of the others on the trip. Most of the time, Bellamy stuck her with Miller and the other John, a darker skinned kid who trailed behind Murphy like some eager puppy. John wasn't fond of Parker, and Parker wasn't fond of John, so Miller served as a middle agent.

Parker knew that Bellamy placed him with her just because he got on her nerves. He was annoyingly pessimistic. Parker was a bit pessimistic, too, but this guy was like death on two feet. Even Miller got frustrated at times. Thankfully, they had only gone out thrice, but each time, Parker had bluffed pulling out her gun and shooting John in the face.

And, as she trudged to Bellamy's tent, he shot her a smug look from his position building along the new wall. She rolled her eyes at him as she passed.

 _Moron,_ she thought.

She took a deep breath as she reached the orange and white patched tent. She stepped in through the flaps and scrunched her eyebrows as she saw the only person standing there. Bellamy. His arms were crossed.

"What are you doing here?" he demanded, eyes narrowed.

Before she had time to respond, Octavia appeared through the opening, defending her. "Because I want her here, Bell."

Behind her came Clarke, who also took a stand for Parker.

"Parker has a big influence on a lot of kids in camp. She's a leader, and this is a meeting for the leaders. Wells respected her. This is about Wells. He'd want her to be here, too," she replied patiently.

Parker smiled ever so slightly and nodded slightly at her best friend and the blonde.

Finn, Monty, and Jasper trailed in shortly after. Jasper and Octavia shared a weary look as they all fell into place around a small table.

"What exactly was I dragged in here for?" Bellamy asked. Although his words were blunt, he seemed genuinely concerned.

Jasper's gaze fell on Octavia, who nodded. Her jaw was set and her hands curled over something in her pocket. Parker knew that she meant business.

Jasper's eyebrows raised as he stepped forward and retrieved something from his pocket.

"Alright," he said as he placed it on the table, "take a look at this."

The ratty cloth from his hands fell away as the hidden object was revealed.

Parker instantly recoiled, a sickening wave of nausea washing over her. The object was actually _objects_ – fingers…human fingers – fingers the exact same skin color as Wells' had been.

"What the hell…?" Finn gasped, eyes glued to the table.

"Where did you find these?" Monty wondered.

"Right outside the camp, near where we found Wells," Octavia told him gravely. "And that's not all."

Out of her jacket pocket, she pulled a metal-looking object. It was a knife. Parker's reaction was instantaneous. She flinched backwards, one hand covering her mouth.

"Are…are you okay, Parker?" Jasper wondered as Clarke picked it up off the table.

"Do you know whose knife this is?" Clarke asked, voice tight.

Her heart was beating so out of control, the pounding in her ears almost drowned out her friend's question. She did her best to not let her fear overtake her voice.

"Yeah, yeah I do," she replied quietly, eyes not leaving the makeshift blade. Clarke's vision narrowed in on the handle of the weapon. She was deep in thought.

"Who else knows about this?" Bellamy demanded, turning towards his sister.

"No one. We brought it straight here," she said.

"Clarke?" Jasper brought her back to the conversation gently.

"If Parker recognizes it and it's made of metal from the dropship, it means the Grounders didn't kill Wells. It was one of us," she stated.

"So there's a murderer in the camp?" Jasper muttered nervously.

Bellamy uncrossed his arms, seemingly more concerned than before. "There's more than one murderer in this camp. This isn't news. We need to keep this quiet."

Parker shook her head. "You really want to keep something like this quiet?"

"If it means keeping peace, then yeah," Bellamy countered.

Clarke rounded the makeshift table. The older boy stepped in front of her.

"Get out of my way, Bellamy," she hissed.

"Be smart about this. Look at what we've achieved – the wall, the patrols. Like it or not, thinking the Grounders killed Wells is good for us."

"Oh, good for you, you mean. What? Keep people afraid and they'll work for you? Is that it?"

"Yeah, that's it. But it's good for all of us. Fear of the Grounders is building that wall. And besides, what are you going to do? Just walk out there and ask the killer to step forward? You don't even know whose knife that is."

"She does."

Clarke pointed to Parker, gesturing determinedly. All eyes were on the brunette.

Parker's two different colored eyes were trained fearfully on the blade. She spoke with soft disgust.

"That knife almost killed me," she said. "It's Murphy's. I'd recognize it anywhere."

"Murphy killed Wells and the people have a right to know," Clarke agreed.

And with that, the blonde brushed past him and stormed out of the tent.

Parker immediately followed, wondering what would happen when Clarke confronted Murphy. The others filed out after her, rushing towards a sudden yell.

"You son of a bitch!" Clarke bellowed.

Murphy chuckled as the blonde shoved him backwards. "What's your problem?"

Parker, Octavia, and Bellamy fell into a single line. Bellamy crossed his arms while Octavia put a hand on her hip. Parker was so on edge, she felt almost uncomfortable. Her breathing was somewhat shallow. She didn't even notice that Finn hadn't gone with them.

What Parker felt was overwhelming anxiety. She was afraid of what Murphy might do to Clarke once she pulled out the blade; the one that was so familiar to Parker, it burned cold in her memories. She hated it, but she hated Murphy even more. Mostly, she hated she was so terrified of him and what he was capable of doing.

"Recognize this?"

Clarke held up his precious weapon.

"That's my knife," Murphy realized. His tone was immediately accusatory. "Where'd you find it?"

"Where you dropped it after you killed Wells," Clarke announced boldly.

Parker noticed many of the hundred stopping their work on the wall to witness the scene in front of them.

It was Murphy that was afraid this time.

"Where I what?" he deadpanned. "The Grounders killed Wells. Not me."

Clarke frowned, almost distraught at the thought of Murphy stabbing Wells to death. "I know what you did, and you're going to pay for it."

"Really?" the other boy asked in disbelief. He scoffed and turned to look at Bellamy. "Bellamy, you really believe this crap?"

Parker glanced hesitantly to the older boy. To her surprise, he wasn't confirming or denying anything. In fact, he said nothing at all.

 _Well, that's a first,_ she thought bitterly.

"You threatened to kill him. We all heard you!" Clarke declared. "You _hated_ Wells."

"Plenty of people hated Wells," Murphy defended. "His father was the chancellor that locked us up."

Clarke interjected angrily. "Yeah, but you're the only one who got in a knife fight with him."

"Yeah, I didn't kill him then either," he retorted.

"He tried to kill Jasper, too," Octavia chimed in loudly. "And I'm sure you all remember how he attacked Parker for her wristband. He was about to kill her with the exact same knife until she defended herself."

Parker's eyes flickered down to her boots. She could feel the eyes roam over her as Clarke and Murphy continued to argue.

"Come on. This is ridiculous. I don't have to answer to you. I don't have to answer to anyone!"

"Come again?" Bellamy questioned.

Murphy stopped in his tracks, staring like a deer in the headlights at the older boy's crossed arms and suspicious demeanor. He walked up to Bellamy, trying to convince the self-established leader of his own innocence.

"Bellamy, look, I'm telling you man. I didn't do this."

Bellamy leaned forward, voice lowered. "They found his fingers on the ground with your knife."

Murphy tossed his hands up in the air out of desperation. He looked to Parker, whose facial expression had turned to stone.

Parker's face was always neutral, but her body language always said otherwise. Bellamy could tell that she was on edge of another murderous breakdown. Her fingers dug into her palms as she tried to hold back all urges to strangle Murphy until he could breathe no more.

"Parker…? Please?" his voice was squeaky.

Parker shook her head, jaw clenched. Her voice went low and scratchy. "You have the nerve to ask me to vouch for _you?_ You tried to slit my throat. Like hell I'm defending your ass. The evidence is clear. You killed Wells."

Before Murphy's red face could implode in anger, Clarke addressed all the teenage delinquents.

"Is this the kind of society we want?" She faced Bellamy. "You say there should be no rules. Does that mean that we can kill each other without – without punishment?"

"I already told you, I didn't kill anyone!" yelled Murphy.

"I say we float him!" stated a boy to Clarke's left. Parker vaguely recognized him from the patrols. His name was Connor. He had been put in the Skybox for vandalism.

At the statement being made, Parker's eyes immediately went wide, eyebrows raising quickly.

Others joined in to agree with Connor.

Clarke did her best to backpedal. "That's not what I'm saying."

"Why not?" he challenged. "He deserves to float. It's justice."

"Revenge isn't justice!" she spat frustratedly.

"It's justice. Float him! Float him!"

And with that, a chant rose up into the air like a petrifying spell. Parker felt it in her whole body. She was frozen solid, unable to move any limbs. Her eyelids felt so stiff, it was hard for her to even blink.

Death. Why was that always the answer? Yes, he killed someone; that someone being an integral part of their group on Earth, but to kill Murphy? How? When? Who?

As the cry of "float him!" echoed through the forest, Octavia put a hand on Parker's shoulder. The older girl snapped out of whatever trance she had fallen under. She squared her shoulders and dug her nails further into her palms. A trickle of warmth cascaded down her folded fingers. Blood.

Murphy spun on his heel and tried to run, but another teen stuck a leg out in front of him. And down to the ground John Murphy tumbled.

As soon as his back hit the dirt, a group of the hundred pounced. Kicking, screaming, and flailing occurred as Clarke was pushed back from the center of the crowd where Murphy was being tortured.

Parker, Bellamy, and Octavia all stood back and watched in horror as many gathered to inflict pain on Murphy. None of them knew what to do. So they watched, shocked and disturbed, as the boy spit scarlet from numerous feet to the face.

Clarke protested. "No! Get off him!"

Octavia had finally had enough, and began to charge forward, but both Bellamy and Parker grabbed an arm and pulled her back. She tugged her limbs out of their grasp.

"You'll just end up the same way," Parker reasoned calmly.

"How can you just stand by and watch another human being get mauled like this?" demanded Octavia. "You of all people should be there defending him!"

Parker's anger for Murphy spilled out onto Octavia in that moment "Defending him? O, he was in the middle of beginning to slice my throat open when Bellamy held a freaking gun to his head! I could be dead because of him! He killed Wells! He tried to kill me! Don't be angry with me if I don't feel as much remorse for him as you do!"

"Remorse? I don't feel any remorse for that selfish bastard, but he doesn't deserve to die!" Octavia argued fiercely.

Bellamy put his arms out between them, shoving them apart.

"Cut it out! Save it for later!" he bellowed. But he was barely heard over the deadly mob assaulting Murphy.

As he reprimanded his sister and her best friend, the crowd had bound and gagged Murphy and were dragging him towards a small slope. A group of them tossed him down the hill as if he was a sack of potatoes.

Murphy groaned and yelped as his body hit rocks, twisting in unnatural ways.

Parker felt a strong twinge of guilt as she, Bellamy, and Octavia caught up to the others. Octavia was right. Death like this was not a viable solution to the problem. And to perish at the hands of other teenagers in such a brutal manner?

In a matter of seconds, a rope was thrown up over a branch of a tall tree nearby.

Parker's breath caught in her throat as the mob dragged Murphy over to the rope. They were going to hang him. Float. On Earth, there was gravity. Floating someone meant defying gravity. Hanging. Murphy was going to slowly suffocate. And there was nothing Parker could do about it.

Someone from the crowd had already tied a noose into the rope by the time Clarke bounded forward. She called for his release.

"You can't do this! Get off me! No! No!"

Parker stood by Octavia and Bellamy, who had walked forward with her. Octavia made sure to stay close to the older girl, worried about what she might do.

Little did they know, Bellamy was worried, too. He was shocked that he felt that way, but something in him related to his younger sister's best friend. He was annoyed with himself about holding Parker's hand at the site of Atom's death, and hadn't forgiven himself for acting so foolishly. But there was something about the way Murphy affected Parker that made him angry. There was a protective nature that he felt for her. But he knew that Parker didn't need protection. So he bottled up his worry and stored it in the back of his mind. Someone else was in more trouble – Murphy.

As the boy was strung up in the tree and a box set below his feet, Clarke rushed over to Bellamy and slapped him on the chest desperately.

"You can stop this!" she roared at him over the furious shouting of the other teens. "They'll listen to you!"

"Bellamy! You should do it!" Connor suggested, running over to them. He began another chant, this time of the self-elected leader's name. "Bell-a-my! Bell-a-my!"

The rest of the delinquents joined in, calling for the final execution.

The guilt building up inside of Parker finally burst through, and she felt called to step forward. She couldn't see this through, no matter what Murphy had done to her.

"I saw you in the woods with Atom," she told him quickly. "You and I both know you're not even _close_ to being a killer! Bellamy, you can't. I'm begging you not to!"

"Bellamy, don't do this. Don't do this!" added Clarke.

Bellamy paid Clarke no attention. He glanced from Murphy back to a breathless Parker. She kept her gaze on him as he set his mouth in a firm line. The cheering of the crowd was deafening. His eyes were firm. He had decided.

"No…" Parker murmured as he charged towards Murphy.

"Don't. Bellamy," begged Clarke.

Parker stayed put. She knew there was no convincing Bellamy otherwise. He was going to kill Murphy.

She glanced to her left to see Octavia looking on in disgust and disbelief. Next to her was a younger girl. She knew immediately who it was: Charlotte, the girl from the woods that was with Bellamy at the site of Atom's death. She couldn't have been any older than thirteen. Why was she here?

"You can't do this, Bellamy!"

Parker was on the verge of tears as Bellamy shoved Clarke back, met her eyes, and instantly turned away.

Everything seemed to happen in slow motion.

Murphy's last cry for help.

Clarke screaming.

Bellamy's kick of the box.

Murphy dangling lifelessly from the rope.

It was done.

And Parker burst into tears.

Clarke wailed.

Bellamy stormed over to Clarke. "This is on you, princess! You should've kept your mouth shut!"

Octavia clung to Parker's arm as tears trailed down the brunette's cheeks. Parker didn't even care enough to wipe them away.

This was a mess that not even she could fix.

Suddenly, a familiar voice called out to them from the back of the crowd. It was a very puzzled, yet panicked, Finn.

"What the hell are you doing?! Cut him down!" He pushed his way to the front. "Charlotte, get out of here now!"

Octavia immediately tasked herself with removing the younger girl from the situation.

"Cut him down, now!"

Finn attempted to get past the few boys that had hanged Murphy, but Connor pulled a crude knife on him.

Something in Parker snapped, and, in a flash, the pistol was out, safety off, with the barrel pointed smack dab in the middle of Connor's forehead.

"Put it down NOW!" she ordered.

"Get out of my way!" cried Finn.

Clarke yelled for Connor to stop, while Bellamy held her back. The other John tried to grab the pistol away from Parker, but she hit him on the head with the butt of it, drawing blood across his forehead. Octavia wrapped her arms around Charlotte, doing her best to get the young teen out of the middle of the chaos.

And chaos it was. Pure, unadulterated chaos.

"STOP, OK?" shrieked Charlotte.

Everyone went quiet, eyes trained on the girl. Octavia let go in surprise. Parker still grasped the collar of John's shirt, blood trickling down her palms and his face.

"Murphy didn't kill Wells!"

Parker's veins ran cold.

"I did!"

Parker inhaled sharply, shoving John away from her.

"Oh my god," Clarke gulped as she slung the axe from Bellamy's belt. Within one chop, the rope was cut and Murphy was on the ground, gasping for air. Finn was by his side immediately, untying the noose from the boy's swollen neck.

Parker stared at the little girl who had just confessed. She felt her ears burn as anger coursed through her veins. A thirteen-year-old girl had murdered another human _in cold blood._

Parker remembered that book from her parent's collection on the Ark. It was a story of a happy family and two murderers. The family lived in a small town, one where people felt safe enough to leave their doors unlocked – even at night. And one fateful, dark evening, the family was shot in their beds in cold blood. The killers didn't have to murder everyone. But they did.

So why did Charlotte kill Wells? She didn't have to do it. From what Parker knew, they had never even interacted before then. So why now? Why Wells? Because he was the chancellor's son? The chancellor who wasn't even on the same damn planet?

Parker grit her teeth as others rushed forward towards Murphy. Bellamy stared at Charlotte in shock. He walked forward and clamped his hand onto the younger girl's arm, pulling her towards a tent just up the hill. Parker followed, as did Clarke and Finn. Octavia stayed behind with Jasper, keeping an eye on Murphy and his followers who were so keen on being leaders, too.

Charlotte struggled to keep up with Bellamy's long strides as they entered the tent.

She whimpered slightly as Parker entered. The older girl kept the gun out.

Parker was furious, yet confused. She didn't like that a little girl had killed someone. And someone that was so much bigger than her? Parker didn't trust her.

"Can…can you put your gun away?" she asked, frightened.

"No," Parker told her in a low voice. "You killed Wells. How do I know you're not going to attempt to murder me? Or Bellamy?"

"Just put it away," the older boy said grimly. "You're scaring her."

"Scaring her?" laughed Parker darkly. "I'm sorry, do you realize who you're dealing with?"

"Yeah, a little girl who's terrified of everyone doing to her what they did to Murphy."

Parker sighed, biting the inside of her cheek. Bellamy had a point. She begrudgingly complied. "Fine."

Clarke and Finn burst through the tent flaps. Clarke seemed bewildered, while Finn's face was solemn.

"Bring out the girl, Bellamy!" Murphy hollered from outside the tent.

"Why, Charlotte?" Bellamy questioned sadly.

"I was just trying to slay my demons, like you told me!" she told him desperately.

Parker's eyes went wide.

"What the hell is she talking about?" Clarke demanded.

Bellamy seemed genuinely horrified. "She misunderstood me. Charlotte, that is not what I meant."

"What did you mean, then, huh? That's a stupid thing to say to a little kid," Parker exclaimed. "What the hell possessed you to give her that advice?"

"I didn't tell her kill someone, Nathan!" Bellamy retorted spitefully.

"Well, that's what she did!" she replied.

"Bring the girl out now!"

Murphy was fuming. Parker's bones rattled at the thought of them persecuting Charlotte like they did to him.

"Please don't let them hurt me," she pleaded tearfully.

"If you guys have any bright ideas, speak up," said Bellamy.

Parker's mind had been spinning that whole time, but she immediately did so. "Finn, you're always off exploring. Have you found any place that might be a good hiding spot?"

The long-haired boy slowly nodded. "Yeah, I can think of a few."

"Good, cause you and I are taking Charlotte there," she told him resolutely. "Clarke, you and Bellamy have to stall Murphy until Finn and I can sneak Charlotte out of the tent."

"No, I'll go with Finn," Clarke refused. "You two can stall. Parker, you're the one with the gun. If you have to threaten Murphy with it, then do it. Hell, I wouldn't be opposed if you shot him."

"Why can't I go with Clarke?" Bellamy questioned. "Charlotte trusts me."

"Those are your boys out there," Finn replied.

"This is not my fault. If those two had listened to me, they would still be out building the wall," the other accused.

"How were we supposed to know that those idiots would make Murphy into a frickin' bloody rag doll?" Parker cut in.

Before Bellamy could respond, Murphy called out threateningly again.

"You want to build a society, Princess? Let's build a society. Bring her out!"

"No, please, Bellamy," whimpered Charlotte.

Parker sighed and crossed her arms, face stone cold. She had never been good with kids, so having to deal with one who had stabbed another person to death? She wasn't sure how she was going to handle it all.

But Bellamy was full of surprises. He leaned down close to Charlotte and reassured her of everything. It was gentle and almost brother-like.

"Charlotte, hey, it's gonna be okay. Just stay with them." He glanced over to Clarke and Finn. Then, his gaze landed on Parker. "It's you and me, Nathan."

Parker nodded in response, too shocked by his dealings with Charlotte to fully process what he was saying. She didn't realize it was time for her to take a stand against Murphy once and for all until Bellamy was pushing the tent flaps aside and marching out. She rushed after him, pulling out the pistol from the back of her trousers waistband.

"Well, well, well. Look who decided to join us," hissed Murphy.

"Dial it down and back off," ordered Bellamy firmly. Parker came to a stand next to him, pistol pointed down at the ground for safety. She kept both hands on the handle, ready to aim and fire if necessary.

She shook slightly at the thought of inflicting pain onto somebody, even if it was someone who had attempted to murder her just days before. She wasn't going to lie to herself, she was still scared of Murphy. He was strong and capable of hurting a lot of people, not including herself.

"Or what?" countered Murphy. "What are you going to do, Bellamy? Hang me? Have your little slut here put a hole in my skull?"

Parker's heart sped up. She could feel it pumping even in her toes. He was trying to make her angry. He smirked at her as her ears burned pink.

Bellamy ignored Murphy's dig at Parker. "I was just giving the people what they wanted."

"Yeah. Yeah, that's a good idea. Why don't we do that right now?" The look in Murphy's eyes was somewhat insane as he turned to address the completely silent crowd of former prisoners.

Bellamy and Parker shot each other worried looks.

"Keep that gun ready," whispered Bellamy.

"Trust me, I've had it ready the whole time," she whispered back.

"So who here wants to see the real murderer hung up? All in favor?" Murphy's hand shot into the air as he spoke. Only five others raised theirs. The rest of the hundred looked at them all like they were crazy (which Parker figured they were).

Those that raised their hands glanced around the crowd, completely bewildered. Parker's eyes met with Octavia's, and they each shook their heads in incredulity. This was completely and utterly stupid.

"I see," Murphy observed as his hand fell to his side. "So it's okay to string me up for _nothing,_ but when this little bitch confesses, you all let her walk?!"

That was it. Parker was done. She wasn't about to sit through some ridiculous speech about how Murphy was innocent and that he hadn't done anything wrong while on the Ground. She scoffed loudly.

"What? You got something to say, Double Trouble? Spit it out," Murphy declared.

Parker shook her head. "Nothing? You think you've done nothing?"

The boy shrugged. "You tell me, crackhead."

Parker's voice grew in volume with each syllable, the poisonous hatred for the boy standing before her spilling out onto every word, every letter, every sound. She was so angry, she knew she would feel no remorse for shooting a bullet through his face right then and there.

"Just ask everyone standing here. You've messed with too many people, hurt too many, tried to kill too many to just walk away from this situation scot free. You were about to kill me. That knife was cutting into my skin, making me bleed, making me think that I was about to never see my family or friends ever again. You attacked Wells on the first day. You tried to kill Jasper when he was in the dropship. Octavia, Monty, and I had to fight you off just to keep our friend safe. We had to shove a freaking rod through the handle of that door so that we could sleep in peace knowing you couldn't climb up and stab us in our sleep! When you say you've done nothing, you are denying everything you've done since you've been here on the Ground! You should have been floated as soon as Jaha sentenced you to the Skybox!"

Murphy's blood covered face was growing paler by the second.

Suddenly, he stepped forward and grabbed Parker by her collar, pulling her shoulders upwards. But before he could react, the gun was pressed right between his eyes. She felt her teeth clench, her breathing grow heavy. She was terrified, but she didn't let it show. Her hands didn't even shake. Her teeth clenched so tightly, she was afraid she would chip a tooth. If she was going to die by Murphy's hands, she would die bravely.

"I dare you!" he screamed in her face. "I DARE YOU!"

"Hey, Murphy! MURPHY!" warned Bellamy, striding over and shoving the other boy backwards, away from Parker, who kept her gun raised.

Her heart thumped loudly; so loudly, she was convinced everyone around her, including Bellamy, could hear it.

"It's over," Bellamy stated.

Murphy stared straight into Bellamy's eyes, trying to get him to relent power. But Bellamy stayed strong and Murphy eventually backed down, breaking eye contact.

"Whatever you say, boss," he said quietly.

Bellamy turned, and Parker did the same, both of them hoping the situation was put on hold for the time being.

But before Parker knew what was happening, she saw Murphy snatch up a hunk of wood from just behind them. He stalked over and aimed for Bellamy's head, but instead, Parker pushed Bellamy ahead of her as hard as she could. There was a sharp pain on the back of her head and the ground rushed into view. But before she reached the grass, the world went black.

And then she saw nothing.

* * *

Consciousness rushed back through Parker's mind and she sat up quickly. She couldn't remember where she was or what had happened.

Light that filtered through the tent was a dull gray. Her eyes scanned her surroundings. The tent seemed to be familiar. She recognized the tattered blanket on the lower half of her body. She was in the tent that she and Octavia shared.

And speaking of Octavia, there she was, sitting next to Jasper on her makeshift mattress. The two looked anxious.

"Parker," said Octavia. "You need to lay down."

"Where is he?" she demanded. She pounded a fist into the mattress. "Where is Murphy?!"

Jasper shook his head. "He took off after Charlotte."

"How long ago?" she asked quickly.

Neither responded, but stared back at her uncomfortably.

"How long ago?!" she cried again.

"Half an hour," Jasper told her, taken aback at the girl's fury.

Octavia attempted to calm her best friend down. "Parker, there's nothing we can do."

Parker shook her head, a dull throb at the back of her skull growing more painful with each movement. "Where's Bellamy?"

"He was knocked out right after you were. He's in his own tent."

"Not anymore," said a low voice as it entered.

Bellamy's head popped through the tent flaps as he stepped through.

"I'm going after them," he relayed, his eyes trained only on Parker. "Let's go."

Parker, too focused on saving Charlotte's life to be surprised at the invite, immediately jumped off her mattress. She had to steady herself before grabbing her coat and stomping off after him.

Octavia and Jasper knew any attempt to stop them would fail, so they let the two go.

Parker reached to her waistband as she walked, relieved that Murphy hadn't been smart enough to take it from her.

Bellamy led her to the weapons table, eyes scanning the various blades.

She came to a halt across the table from him.

"Here," he told her, offering out a long, sharp knife. "You've only got one bullet."

Parker shook slightly at the sight of it in front of her face. Her mind flew, the feeling of cold steel on her neck, her own hot blood running down her throat.

Bellamy noticed her eyes glaze over for a moment and the hesitation gripping her body as she barely attempted to reach out and take the knife from his hand.

"Nathan," he said firmly, waving it a little. "Nathan, take it."

But her eyes stayed trained on the long blade. Fear had a tight grasp on her.

Bellamy felt frustrated at her for a moment, then saw that she was re-living that horrific moment she thought she was going to die. He wavered.

"Parker," he said gently.

The use of her first name caught the brunette's attention. She frowned, then took the knife from him, slinging it through one of her belt loops. Her hands shook as she did so.

Bellamy ignored it.

"Which way did Murphy and his idiot crew go?" she asked, the slightest quake in her voice inevitable.

Again, Bellamy ignored it. "Miller said they stormed off in the direction Clarke and Finn took Charlotte."

Parker nodded, then followed the older boy once more.

When they exited the walls of camp, Parker's fingers went numb. Her mind rushed, full of static and memories that made her senses scream with agony. The experiences she had had when venturing out into the dark trees with Bellamy never ended without the death of one of the delinquents – and most of them being her friends. Was she up for that again? Did she want to see someone die? Did she really want to see _Murphy_ die?

Her jaw clenched tightly. She came to a sudden halt, her different-colored eyes fixed on the dusky surroundings.

Bellamy trod on, at first, unaware of her lack of presence. He looked to his right, as if to say something, but stopped mid-step. He spun on his heel to face the younger girl.

"Hey, what's with the stopping? We've got to get a move on if we're going to save Charlotte."

He quickly walked back to Parker, who seemed almost as if she was stuck in a nightmare.

"I can't," she said quietly, eyes tearing slightly.

"Why not?" he barked, confused. "You willingly charged through to make sure I wasn't dead for Octavia before. Why is this any different?"

Parker didn't meet his eyes. She didn't want to tell him why. He would only mock her.

"I just can't," she repeated.

"You can't?" he deadpanned. He crossed his arms. "Nathan, they're getting further away from us and closer to catching Charlotte and flaying her alive. You do understand that, right?"

"Yes, I'm not stupid," she spat back.

"Then what's the issue, double trouble?"

The nickname struck a sore chord in Parker. "Hey, don't call me that!"

"What is wrong with you? Clarke and Finn might die, too! Let's go!"

"I can't!"

"Why not?!"

"Because I'm afraid!" she screamed.

Bellamy's face fell. "So am I."

"No, you don't understand," Parker shook her head.

"Then help me understand," he responded, a gentler tone lacing his voice.

Parker fidgeted under his uncharacteristically soft facial expression. "Fine. It's just…Murphy…"

Bellamy's eyebrows scrunched. "Are you scared of Murphy?"

"Wouldn't you be, too, if he almost killed you?"

Bellamy hadn't thought about it in that way. He hadn't considered how deeply Murphy's actions that day had affected her.

"What if he tries to kill me again?" she asked weakly, voice cracking. "What if – "

"He won't," Bellamy interjected firmly. "I won't let it happen."

Parker, shocked at the statement, was speechless for a moment. Then a slight dose of anger engulfed her. "I'm not your sister, Bellamy. I don't need you to protect me like some knight in shining armor like in Medieval Times!"

"I'm not saying I'll protect you!" he argued. "I'm saying I've got your back."

Her heart stopped beating. Was he calling a truce?

Their eyes met and, all of a sudden, everything changed.

"Then I've got yours," she told him.

Bellamy looked like he was about to crack a huge smile, but he bit it back. "So let's go save this kid."

Parker nodded, letting him lead the way into the woods.

* * *

 **Hi, guys! I know I haven't updated in literally forever. But I'm back to working on** _ **Landfill**_ **and I forgot how much I enjoyed writing this fic, as well as writing for Parker. She's a badass.**

 **Here are my responses to reviews left on the previous chapter:**

CopperMax: Right? Bellamy is kind of an asshole this first season of the 100. And Parker is so helpful! I feel like that's a really strong part of her personality.

12: I hope you're enjoying the Charlotte stuff! 😊

Jacob Denness: Thank you! I hope you liked this chapter!

Guest: I'm glad I made you GAH your little heart haha. I'm hoping this made your heart stop (just like Parker's 😉).

Fairy Tail Master23: I UPDATED!

 **Thanks to everyone who reviewed and read this chapter! Talk to you all soon!**


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